OpenAI Sets GPT-5 Access Priorities

OpenAI has officially announced a compute allocation strategy to address the surge in demand for GPT-5. This policy will be implemented over the coming months as server loads increase due to heightened user interest. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shared the announcement directly through his social media account on August 12, 2025.

Here is how we are prioritizing compute over the next couple of months in light of the increased demand from GPT-5:

1. We will first make sure that current paying ChatGPT users get more total usage than they did before GPT-5.

2. We will then prioritize API demand up to the…

— Sam Altman (@sama) August 12, 2025

In his statement, Altman emphasized that the primary priority is to ensure paying ChatGPT users receive increased total usage compared to the period before GPT-5’s release. This step is seen as essential to maintaining service quality for customers who contribute financially.

Priority for Paying Users

Altman explained that paying users will be the first group to secure optimal access. This includes ChatGPT Plus and ChatGPT Enterprise subscribers, who have been key revenue sources supporting the AI model’s development.

Capacity Allocation for API

The second priority will go to API demand that already has allocated capacity and contractual commitments with customers. According to Altman, with current capacity, OpenAI can accommodate roughly 30% additional growth in API usage compared to the current level. This move is crucial to maintaining trust with business partners and developers integrating GPT-5 into their products.

Enhancing the Free Tier

Once the needs of paying users and existing API commitments are met, OpenAI will allocate resources to improve the quality of the free version of ChatGPT. This aims to sustain the platform’s broad user base, which remains one of its major strengths.

Support for New API Requests

The final priority will be serving new API demand. This allocation will only occur after all higher priorities are addressed, meaning new users may have to wait for available capacity.

Altman added that OpenAI is undergoing a significant expansion of its compute infrastructure. “We are doubling our compute capacity over the next five months, so this situation should improve,” he said. This is a positive signal for the user and business ecosystem, as capacity availability is critical to global GPT-5 adoption.

This priority policy reflects OpenAI’s strategy to maintain service sustainability while ensuring core user satisfaction. In an increasingly competitive AI industry, efficient capacity management will be key to ensuring technologies like GPT-5 can continue to evolve without sacrificing quality.

With this announcement, users are expected to understand the current priority order and adjust their expectations accordingly. OpenAI aims to ensure that all segments, from individual users to large enterprises, continue to gain optimal benefits from its latest technology.