{
  "id": 5681245,
  "title": "Anthropic uses Claude to formalize proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/anthropic-uses-claude-to-formalize-proof-of-fermats-last-theorem",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-05T00:41:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SiliconANGLE",
    "slug": "siliconangle",
    "url": "https://siliconangle.com/2026/09/04/anthropic-uses-claude-to-formalize-proof-of-fermats-last-theorem/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Anthropic PBC has utilized Claude to generate a computer-verifiable version of a complex mathematical proof, specifically Fermat’s Last Theorem. First proposed in 1637, this theorem investigates the characteristics of positive whole numbers. Andrew Wiles successfully proved the theorem in 1995, spanning 129 pages, which took months to verify. By formalizing Wiles' proof, Anthropic transformed it into a format that computers can automatically verify. This process results in a code snippet written in Lean, a programming language used by mathematicians for verifying hypotheses. The formalized proof consists of 13 million lines of Lean code, making it the largest of its kind. Formalizing proofs is beneficial as it eliminates the risk of human error and simplifies sharing information among mathematicians. Due to the terse nature of proofs, they often require additional explanations for computers to comprehend. Additionally, the arguments in a proof typically build upon one another, meaning that any mistake in one line can invalidate all subsequent code. Anthropic's researchers accomplished this feat in 11 days using an internal research model, comparable to Claude Fable 5.1, the predecessor of GPT-6 Astra. The model operated with limited human input, generating 6 billion tokens of output while working on the proof and proving 29,500 intermediate theorems along the way. Initially, Anthropic's attempt to formalize Wiles' proof failed; however, they achieved success when they provided Claude access to Prove2Me, an open-source tool that aids AI agents in determining the optimal next step in lengthy workflows and reduces inference costs. Kevin Buzzard, a mathematician, praised the robustness of AI autoformalization artifacts following this milestone. This achievement occurs a month after Anthropic detailed another LLM-driven mathematical advancement, where Claude discovered new information about the Riemann zeta function, a crucial object in the Riemann hypothesis, one of the most challenging conjectures in mathematics. Rival OpenAI Group PBC has also employed its latest Astra model to solve several Erdos problems and address open questions in theoretical computer science.",
  "summary": "Anthropic PBC has used Claude to create a computer-verifiable version of a famous, highly complicated mathematical proof. The company detailed the project in a blog post published today. A proof is a series of arguments that proves a mathematical hypothesis is correct. The proof that Anthropic tackled verifies a hypothesis called Fermat’s Last Theorem. Originally […] The post Anthropic uses…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Techmeme",
        "title": "Anthropic says Claude worked \"largely autonomously\" over 11 days to formalize the proof of Fermat's Last Theorem in the Lean programming language (Anthropic)",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/anthropic-says-claude-worked-largely-autonomously-over-11-days-to",
        "published": "2026-09-04T20:35:10.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "MacRumors",
        "title": "Anthropic's Claude is Coming to CarPlay",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/anthropics-claude-is-coming-to-carplay",
        "published": "2026-09-04T20:43:40.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Dev.to",
        "title": "Fermat’s Last Theorem in Lean: The Community Project and Claude’s Real Role",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/fermats-last-theorem-in-lean-the-community-project-and-claudes-real",
        "published": "2026-09-04T21:00:30.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Techmeme",
        "title": "Sources: Anthropic is expected to make its IPO prospectus public late September and complete the listing days before the US midterm elections in November (Echo Wang/Reuters)",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/sources-anthropic-is-expected-to-make-its-ipo-prospectus-public-late",
        "published": "2026-09-04T22:55:01.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}