Claude writes first computer-checked proof of Fermat's Last Theorem in 11 days
sammcallister · x · 2026-09-05
Anthropic announced the first complete, computer-checked formalization of Fermat's Last Theorem. In an experiment led by researcher Tianyi Peng, Claude worked largely autonomously for 11 days to write the proof in Lean, producing 13 million lines of code and proving 29,500 intermediate theorems from mathematical axioms alone.
Key context:
- Wiles's original 1995 proof ran 129 pages and took months to verify by hand; the formalization effort traces to Jan Bergstra's proposal and a multi-year community project started in 2024 by Kevin Buzzard at Imperial College London.
- The work involved autoformalization of algebra, harmonic analysis, geometry, and number theory in a multi-layered proof, showing AI formalization artifacts are now robust enough to build upon.
- Buzzard called it an extraordinary autoformalization achievement with potentially deep implications for research mathematics.
Related event: Claude Produces First Formalized Proof of Fermat's Last Theorem in 11 Days(52 posts)→
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