OpenAI faces surge in demand for gpt-6 astra, may temporarily pause new pro subscriptions

OpenAI's Codex team leader, Tibo Sottiaux, announced on September 9 that demand for GPT-6 Astra has reached unprecedented levels, prompting the company to allocate all available resources to meet user needs. He emphasized that even during previous periods of rapid growth, demand had never been this high. Sottiaux warned that if demand continues to rise, new Pro subscriptions may be temporarily suspended to prioritize existing users' experiences. Astra, launched on September 3, initially faced capacity limitations, with some paid users unable to access the model. To address this, users who experienced downtime had their usage quotas reset daily. CEO Sam Altman described the launch as a 'mess.' Astra was later integrated into the standard quota system, with usage reduced to as low as a quarter to a third of previous levels. Users continue to report high server loads and faster quota consumption compared to Sol. The pause on new Pro subscriptions does not affect existing users. Sottiaux confirmed that Codex will remain available in free and Plus tiers. The measure is a quota restriction, not a reduction in model capabilities, aimed at maintaining service quality for current users.