OpenAI's $500 ChatGPT Pro Max Plan Surfaces in Leaks with Faster AI Inference

OpenAI Tests Premium $500 Monthly Subscription Tier

OpenAI is quietly developing a new ChatGPT subscription tier called ChatGPT Pro Max that could cost $500 per month, according to leaked code references and screenshots circulating among AI researchers and tracking accounts1

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. The unannounced plan has started appearing in ChatGPT's subscription interface alongside existing Plus and Pro options, with some versions showing $600 after local taxes or VAT are included1

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. Independent researcher Tibor Blaho was among the first to spot the changes in hidden logs, followed by leak tracker TestingCatalog and popular AI leaks account Chetaslua, who shared screenshots of the tier appearing inside ChatGPT's interface2

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. This new AI service would cost 25 times the price of the $20 ChatGPT Plus plan and more than double the $200 Pro tier OpenAI launched in December 20242

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Faster Work and Codex Performance Highlights New Tier

The most significant difference in the new ChatGPT subscription tier centers on speed improvements for two of OpenAI's agent products. The plan promises "Fastest Work and Codex," referring to Work, which handles multi-step research and writing tasks, and Codex, OpenAI's tool that writes and debugs software code autonomously over extended periods2

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. Beyond speed enhancements, the Pro Max tier also teases access to OpenAI's most capable frontier models, maximum memory allocation, and 100GB file storage1

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. The plan also advertises early access to new AI models, though the existing $200 plan currently promises this capability, raising questions about whether early access might become exclusive to the premium tier1

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Cerebras Hardware May Power Ultra-Fast AI Inference

Speculation suggests the speed improvements could stem from Cerebras hardware integration for ultra-fast AI inference. OpenAI has been deploying Cerebras hardware, which uses oversized wafer-scale processors roughly the size of a dinner plate, designed to move data faster than smaller Nvidia chips2

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. Earlier this year, OpenAI launched Codex-Spark on Cerebras at more than 1,000 tokens per second, and later demonstrated GPT-5.6 Sol running at up to 750 output tokens per second in its Cerebras-powered Ultrafast mode1

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. Cerebras has pitched its technology as 21 times faster than Nvidia's B200 chips at a third of the cost, which raises questions about why a speed boost from cheaper, faster hardware would carry a $300 premium over the existing Pro plan2

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. Neither OpenAI nor Cerebras has confirmed the connection between the hardware and the new tier.

Pre-Launch Announcement Expected at DevDay Conference

OpenAI has not officially announced Pro Max, and the company's DevDay conference scheduled for September 29 could serve as the platform for unveiling the new tier2

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. New pricing tiers are typically revealed at DevDay, OpenAI's annual event for developers and power users, making the timing particularly relevant for leaked details surfacing now2

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. The $500 tier would position OpenAI well above its competitors in premium pricing. Anthropic's Claude Max plan runs $100 to $200 per month, while Google cut its competing AI Ultra plan from $250 down to $100 per month in May2

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. Currently, ChatGPT offers Pro tiers at $100 and $200 per month, but new sign-ups and upgrades to the $200 plan have been temporarily paused since September 101

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. Power users have been requesting more usage than the existing $200 plan offers, suggesting demand exists for higher-tier options despite the premium pricing1

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