OpenAI pauses new Pro subscriptions as Astra demand strains infrastructure

OpenAI has temporarily disabled new sign-ups for its $200-per-month Pro plan after demand for its latest model, GPT-6 Astra, put unusual pressure on the company’s infrastructure. TechCrunch reported the move on September 10, citing an announcement by OpenAI product leader Thibault Sottiaux. Existing Pro subscribers were not described as being removed from the plan; the change concerns new subscriptions.

Sottiaux said the Pro tier creates the greatest strain on OpenAI’s systems, so pausing that tier was presented as the smallest measure that could protect service for existing users while keeping broader access available. OpenAI has not said how many people were signing up each day or when Pro registrations will reopen. Its API and lower-priced Go and Plus plans remained available according to the report.

The timing links the decision to Astra’s launch on September 3. OpenAI has been rolling the model out across Pro, Plus, Enterprise and Business accounts, while also making it available through the API. The company positions Astra as a major step in reasoning, coding and computer use. Those capabilities can require more computation than ordinary chat, especially when users run long tasks or ask an agent to work through many tool calls. The infrastructure explanation comes from OpenAI; the precise operational bottleneck has not been disclosed.

For users, the immediate consequence is practical: a person who wants the highest-priced ChatGPT tier may have to wait, even though people who already have access can continue using their plan. Developers and businesses may see the event as a reminder that model availability depends not only on capability and pricing, but also on reliable capacity. A heavily demanded model can affect sign-up policy, rollout speed and the consistency of interactive workloads.

The pause also highlights a tension in AI services. Launching a more capable model can create demand faster than a provider can add compute, networking and support capacity. OpenAI’s choice suggests it is prioritising continuity for existing customers over adding more high-intensity accounts in the short term. It does not, by itself, show how long the limitation will last or whether Astra’s demand will remain at this level. For now, the verified news is narrower: new Pro subscriptions are on hold while OpenAI manages the infrastructure impact of Astra’s rollout.