OpenAI Suspends New Sign-Ups for $200 Monthly Plan Amid Surge in Demand for Astra

[Financial News] OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, has temporarily suspended new sign-ups for its top-tier Pro plan due to surging demand for its new artificial intelligence (AI) model, Astra.
On the 10th (local time), Thibault Sottiaux, OpenAI’s head of products and platforms, announced, "We are temporarily suspending new sign-ups for the $200-a-month Pro plan so that current users can continue using Astra." Sottiaux explained, "This plan is placing the greatest strain on our systems, so we decided to take the minimum necessary measure to continue providing service to as many users as possible," adding, "Existing accounts are unaffected."
OpenAI currently offers three paid ChatGPT plans: the lower-priced Go, the standard Plus, and the advanced Pro. The Pro plan is divided into $100 and $200 monthly options, and the one whose sign-ups have been suspended is the $200 plan, which has the highest usage cap. Sottiaux added, "We are working to expand computing capacity as quickly as possible," and said, "All plans other than the $200 Pro plan, as well as the usage-based application programming interface (API), remain available."
Recently, OpenAI unveiled its GPT-6 Astra model while declaring, "We have reached artificial general intelligence (AGI)." Astra demonstrated major advances in AI reasoning, academia, coding, and computer use, passing all 48 stages of a CAPTCHA test previously used to distinguish robots and solving several difficult mathematical problems.
OpenAI also announced that it had signed a contract with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to provide public-sector organizations with AI services, including Astra, at a 50% discount.
However, OpenAI did not disclose specific figures, such as changes in the number of new sign-ups or users or daily token usage, following Astra’s release. It also did not say how long the suspension of sign-ups for the plan would last.
[email protected] Hong Chae-wan Reporter