OpenAI’s ChatGPT website experienced a widespread outage this morning, confirmed to be linked to a larger disruption at Cloudflare. As of 10:18 a.m. ET, services have been restored, though OpenAI has stated a full Root Cause Analysis (RCA) will be published within five business days.
What Happened?
Users attempting to access ChatGPT through its website encountered errors indicating a need to unblock Cloudflare domains. Reports on Downdetector began flooding in around 6:30 a.m. ET, peaking throughout the morning. OpenAI officially acknowledged the issue at 7:12 a.m. ET, identifying a problem with a third-party service provider.
The Cloudflare Connection
The outage is tied to a larger incident at Cloudflare, a major cloud computing platform. When a provider like Cloudflare experiences issues, it creates ripple effects across numerous websites and services. Other affected platforms include X (formerly Twitter), Grindr, Canva, Spotify, and YouTube.
Notably, the ChatGPT iOS app remained functional during the outage, indicating the disruption was specific to the web-based interface.
Why This Matters
This incident highlights the centralized nature of modern internet infrastructure. Major cloud providers underpin a vast portion of online services, meaning disruptions at these platforms can have widespread consequences. The outage serves as a reminder of the dependence on third-party services, even for leading AI companies like OpenAI.
The cause of the Cloudflare outage is still under investigation, but the platform stated it was “working on restoring service for application services customers.”
Disclosure
Mashable’s parent company, Ziff Davis, has an ongoing legal dispute with OpenAI over alleged copyright infringement in AI training data.
The incident underscores the fragility of interconnected digital systems and the potential for single points of failure to disrupt widely used services.
