OpenAI and Google have started placing strict daily limits on their most popular AI video and image generation tools. The sudden spike in demand for OpenAI’s Sora and Google’s Nano Banana Pro has pushed both companies to scale back free usage so their systems can keep up.
OpenAI confirmed that free users can now generate only six Sora videos per day. These limits do not affect paid ChatGPT Plus or Pro subscribers, and users can still buy extra generations if they need more. Bill Peebles, who leads Sora at OpenAI, joked that their “GPUs are melting” as more people rush to create videos.
While GPUs are not literally melting, the comment highlights a real challenge. Modern AI video models like Sora consume enormous compute power. Even high-end Nvidia GPUs run extremely hot under these workloads. Earlier this year, Sam Altman also joked about overheating GPUs during a viral trend, later clarifying that the hardware was under heavy load but never in danger.
Google is facing similar pressure. Users of Nano Banana Pro, the newer image generator powered by Gemini 3 Pro Image, now have a strict limit of two images or edits per day unless they subscribe to Google’s paid AI plans. Google has also added variable limits to Gemini 3 Pro access, warning that “daily limits may change frequently” for free users. In contrast, the older Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5) still allows up to 100 images per day, showing how much heavier the newer system is on compute resources.
These new restrictions come during a long holiday weekend in the United States, a time when many users tend to experiment more with AI tools. Both companies want to avoid outages and ensure that their systems remain available to as many people as possible.
