OpenAI’s storage stack now handles 70M requests per second
ChatGPT’s growth forced Habitat, OpenAI’s Python-based storage layer, to evolve from a single-database client into a globally distributed platform serving more than 1 billion people weekly. It now spans nearly 40 regions, manages 500+ petabytes, and handles 70M+ requests per second. The notable lesson is operational: at this pace, sequencing capacity fixes and foundational redesigns matters as much as the architecture itself.