OpenAI builds foundational AI models including GPT-4, GPT-4o, o1, o3, DALL·E, and the Assistants API. We monitor their pricing changes, model releases, deprecations, API updates, and service incidents.
Azure OpenAI model retirements page updated — many retirement/deprecation dates and auto-upgrade notes added (Mar–Apr 2026)
Microsoft updated the Azure OpenAI (Foundry) model deprecations & retirements page to add and/or revise lifecycle dates and upgrade scheduling for many models. The page lists specific retirement and deprecation dates (examples include gpt-4o standard deployment retirement on 2026-03-31 with auto-upgrades starting 2026-03-09, multiple gpt-5 family GA/preview/retirement entries, audio model retirements around 2026-03-24, and image model retirements like dall‑e‑3 on 2026-03-04). The page also includes guidance on notifications, upgrade windows, fine-tuned model retirement behavior, and replacement model suggestions.
Azure OpenAI model retirements table: `gpt-5.1-chat` retirement date set to 2026-04-15
Microsoft updated the Azure OpenAI (Foundry) model retirements table to set a firm retirement date for `gpt-5.1-chat`: the Retirement Date column now lists 2026-04-15 (previously showed a relative/undetermined date). The change clarifies that `gpt-5.1-chat` will retire on 2026-04-15 and lists suggested replacement models in the same table.
Azure OpenAI quotas page: new guidance on causes of 429 (Too Many Requests) responses
Microsoft updated the Azure OpenAI (Foundry) quotas & limits page to add a new explanatory section describing causes of 429 (Too Many Requests) responses. The note explains that 429s can occur due to input/context length rejections (HTTP 400), evaluation of potential token usage (e.g., max_tokens), or distributed rate-limiting enforcement that may not be precisely reflected in aggregated usage metrics.
Azure OpenAI Image Edit API returning 404 / safety rejections (Mar 31, 2026) — user report
A Microsoft Q&A post (user report) describes that the Azure OpenAI Image Edit API endpoints return 404 for gpt-image-1.5 and safety-rejection messages for gpt-image-1.0 when called programmatically, while the Playground works. The report requests investigation and may indicate an API/permission or safety-system regression impacting programmatic image-edit calls.
Foundry Quotas & Limits updated (2026-03-21): introduces Quota Tiers, auto-upgrades, and opt-out API
Microsoft updated the Azure OpenAI (Foundry) Quotas and Limits documentation on 2026-03-21 to introduce Quota Tiers. The page describes seven tiers (Free, 1–6), automatic tier upgrades based on consumption and customer relationship, an opt-out preview flag (NoAutoUpgrade) configurable via a PATCH management API, and preserves previously approved quota increases. It also includes detailed RPM/TPM tables per model and per-tier, guidance for requesting increases, and regional capacity/capacity-api guidance.
Azure OpenAI model retirements page updated — added retirement dates and auto-upgrade guidance (Mar–Apr 2026)
Microsoft updated the Azure OpenAI (Foundry) model retirements documentation to add and revise lifecycle dates for many models and to document automatic upgrade behavior for some deployment types. The page includes specific retirement dates (examples in March–April 2026 for several audio, image, and GPT-family models), guidance on notifications and upgrade windows, fine-tuned model retirement behavior, and suggested replacement models.
Azure Foundry model retirements page updated (page updated 2026-03-19): new GA entries and revised retirement dates
Microsoft updated the Azure OpenAI / Microsoft Foundry model deprecations & retirements page on 2026-03-19. The page now lists new GA model entries (example: gpt-5.4 and gpt-5.4-pro marked GA with launch dates in early March 2026, and gpt-5.4-mini/nano GA entries dated 2026-03-17), plus added or clarified retirement dates for multiple models (examples: several gpt-4o standard deployment retirements remain 2026-03-31 with auto-upgrades from 2026-03-09; audio preview models such as gpt-4o-audio-preview and related realtime/mini variants show retirements on 2026-03-24; tts and whisper retirement windows updated to mid-June 2026). The update also included metadata and page-version updates (updated_at 2026-03-19).
User reports: Azure OpenAI Realtime API server_error, batch jobs stuck, and access issues to GPT-5.x (Microsoft Q&A reports)
Multiple Microsoft Q&A threads (mid-March 2026) report Realtime API server_error responses, batch jobs stuck in validation, and inability for some customers to access certain GPT-5.x endpoints or receive approved quota increases. These are user-reported incidents and not (yet) posted as an official Azure status incident on the public status page.
Q&A: Clarification that ChatGPT retirements do not automatically remove GPT-4.1 from Azure OpenAI
A Microsoft Q&A moderator posted a clarification (2026-03-13) that the ChatGPT product retirement notices do not automatically imply the same retirement timeline for Azure OpenAI / Azure AI Foundry. Azure manages model lifecycles separately and customers will be notified in the official Azure model retirements documentation if Azure plans to retire an API-accessible model.
Azure Foundry model retirements page: published schedule and dates (last updated 2026-03-12)
Microsoft's Azure OpenAI / Foundry model retirements page (last updated 2026-03-12) lists lifecycle statuses, deprecation and retirement dates for many models (examples: gpt-5-chat versions retiring 2026-04-15; certain gpt-4o standard deployments retiring 2026-03-31 with auto-upgrades beginning 2026-03-09; dall-e-3 retirement noted as 2026-03-04). The page defines notification policies (60 days for GA retirements, 30 days for preview upgrades) and provides guidance for preparing upgrades and monitoring via Azure Service Health.