OpenAI’s popular tools, including ChatGPT, Sora, and the developer API, experienced a major outage on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, leaving users frustrated. The issue, which started around 3 PM PT, was largely resolved by 9 PM PT, though the cause of the disruption remains unclear.
Many users encountered error messages when trying to access ChatGPT, with one message reading, “ChatGPT is currently unavailable. We have identified the issue and are working to roll out a fix.” Sora, OpenAI’s new video generation platform, was also affected, showing similar downtime messages.
Just before the service resumed, OpenAI shared the following statement in a tweet:
“We’ve identified the issue and are working to bring services back online”.
Despite the fix, it left some users wondering about the cause, especially since OpenAI had just launched a major integration with Apple’s iOS 18.2 the same day. Some users on social media reported that ChatGPT wasn’t working in Apple Intelligence due to the outage.
The downtime was attributed to a configuration change made by OpenAI that caused many servers to go offline. “The OpenAI outage was unrelated to our Apple Intelligence integration,” clarified Edwin Arbus, OpenAI’s developer community lead.
The timing of the outage was significant, as it coincided with the fifth day of OpenAI’s “12 Days of OpenAI” event, where new products and updates have been rolled out daily. OpenAI had already announced the full release of its O1 reasoning model, updates to Canvas, and the launch of Sora, which had also struggled with capacity issues on its opening day.
While the outage was quickly resolved, it served as a reminder of the challenges that come with managing high-demand services, especially during major launches.
