Caltech Launches First Research-Level Math Hackathon: 40 Hours, $2M+ AI Credits, Open Conjectures
_sathvikr · x · 2026-09-05
Caltech will host the Mathathon on Oct 30–Nov 1, billed as the first hackathon devoted to research-level mathematics: 100 teams get frontier models for 40 hours to attack open conjectures and build new theory, then defend results before leading mathematicians, with two rounds of prizes and $2M+ in AI credits. Sponsors include Anthropic, OpenAI, DARPA expMath, Cognition, a16z, and Y Combinator.
Motivation: recent AI math breakthroughs — Erdős's planar unit-distance conjecture disproved after 80 years (May 20), the first explicit non-sofic group constructed (Aug 1), and the six-sphere shown to admit a complex structure (Aug 23, unverified).
The event asks how much AI can speed up ideation-to-publication and what mathematicians' role becomes when AI solves conjectures faster. Applications are open.
Related event: Caltech Hosts World's First AI Math Hackathon with Anthropic and OpenAI(23 posts)→
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