TechCrunch reports that OpenAI has temporarily stopped accepting new sign-ups for its $200-a-month Pro plan, blaming infrastructure strain from its newest model, Astra. Product leader Thibault Sottiaux announced the pause on X, saying the Pro tier puts the heaviest load on OpenAI's systems and that the company wanted to take the smallest step that still kept access broad. Other plans, including the API and the cheaper Go and Plus tiers, remain open, and existing Pro users are unaffected. OpenAI flagged the possibility a day earlier, with Sottiaux describing demand for Astra as unprecedented. The company has not said how long the pause will last. Astra launched on September 3.