Claude formalizes Fermat's last theorem: 13M-line verified proof in 11 days
burny_tech · x · 2026-09-09
Nature reports that Anthropic used an advanced Claude prototype to formalize Fermat's last theorem for the first time — a milestone for mathematics.
- Claude produced a 13-million-line, computer-verified proof in just 11 days; the human effort was expected to take 10 years.
- The conjecture, posed over 350 years ago, was proven by Andrew Wiles in 1994 and ranks among the most celebrated results of the past half-century.
- Number theorist Alex Kontorovich said a machine turning human mathematical work into an ironclad proof "completely blew my mind," and sees AI playing a growing role in mathematics.
A landmark for AI for mathematics: machines not only solve problems but convert the deepest proofs into machine-checkable form.
Related event: Claude Produces Record Formal Proof of Fermat's Last Theorem(2 posts)→
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