OpenAI has paused its $200 ChatGPT sign-ups as ‘unprecedented’ demand for new model Astra strains its system
When OpenAI launched Astra last week — a model whose advanced abilities prompted OpenAI president Greg Brockman to call it the start of the “AGI era” — it only gave a handful of enterprise customers access to give the company time to scale its compute capacity.
TL;DR
- OpenAI has paused new sign-ups and upgrades for its $200/month ChatGPT Pro plan.
- The pause is due to overwhelming demand for the new Astra model, which is available on this tier.
- Astra's 'computer use' feature allows it to interact with desktops at "superhuman speed," consuming usage allowances faster than previous models.
- OpenAI cited 'unprecedented' demand and the strain on its systems as the reason for the pause.
- Existing Pro accounts are unaffected, and OpenAI is working to increase compute capacity.
- This is not the first time OpenAI has paused sign-ups due to capacity issues, with a similar halt occurring for ChatGPT Plus in November 2023.
- OpenAI has significantly increased its compute capacity since 2023 and is investing heavily in AI infrastructure, including partnerships and a large-scale buildout.