OpenAI faces challenges in scaling up with GPU shortages as it readies for the GPT-4.5 debut.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced today that GPT-4.5 will launch for Plus tier subscribers next week, describing it as “the first model that feels like talking to a thoughtful person.”
The launch timing is constrained by GPU availability, with Altman noting that OpenAI is “out of GPUs” due to growth surges.
The company plans to add “tens of thousands of GPUs next week” to support the Plus tier rollout, with “hundreds of thousands coming soon.”
“This isn’t how we want to operate, but it’s hard to perfectly predict growth surges that lead to GPU shortages,” Altman said in a social media post.
While GPT-4.5 won’t “crush benchmarks,” Altman emphasized it represents “a different kind of intelligence” with a unique quality. “There’s a magic to it I haven’t felt before,” he said.
The release aligns with OpenAI’s previously announced roadmap, which positioned GPT-4.5 (internally called Orion) as the company’s “last non-chain-of-thought model.
“The plan includes later unifying OpenAI’s various models under GPT-5, which will integrate multiple technologies and offer tiered access levels across free, Plus, and Pro subscriptions,” Altman said then.
