OpenAI Pauses New ChatGPT Pro Subscriptions as Astra Demand Surges

OpenAI has temporarily paused new subscriptions to its $200-per-month ChatGPT Pro plan as unexpectedly strong demand for Astra strains the company’s computing infrastructure.

OpenAI product leader Thibault Sottiaux announced the pause on X, saying Pro users place the greatest strain on OpenAI’s systems. The company chose to stop new Pro sign-ups while keeping broader access available through its other products.

OpenAI’s API and lower-priced Go and plans remain available. The company has not said when Pro subscriptions will reopen or disclosed how many new users have been attempting to sign up.

OpenAI warned that a Pro pause could be coming

The move follows an earlier warning from Sottiaux that demand for Astra was unlike anything OpenAI had previously experienced. In a post Wednesday, he said the company was using every available option to sustain demand but might need to temporarily halt new Pro subscriptions to protect service quality for existing users.

“We wanted to take the smallest step that allows us to continue giving the broadest access possible,” Sottiaux wrote when announcing the pause.

The capacity pressure appears relatively recent. OpenAI had been increasing access to some products, including higher Codex usage availability for paid users, before Astra’s launch triggered the latest surge.

Astra drives a new wave of demand

Astra launched Sept. 3 and is rolling out across OpenAI’s Pro, Plus, Enterprise and Business offerings, as well as through its API. The model is positioned as a major advance in reasoning, coding and computer use.

OpenAI executives have also used unusually ambitious language around the release. OpenAI described Astra as a major step toward what it calls the “AGI era”, helping drive attention around the model as competition intensifies across advanced AI systems.

For now, OpenAI is prioritising capacity for existing customers while limiting the subscription tier that places the heaviest demand on its infrastructure. The company has not provided a timeline for restoring new Pro sign-ups.