ChatGPT owner, OpenAI, on Tuesday announced that it found a solution to a longstanding mathematical problem that has remained unsolved for nearly 90 years.
The company in a statement said the Navier-Stokes equations were solved by an estimated artificial intelligence (AI) 10,000 agents using its unreleased next generation model.
The AI firm said they autonomously completed the tasks in 88 hours.
“We’re sharing a solution to the Navier-Stokes Millennium Prize Problem, one of the deepest problems at the frontier of mathematics. The proof was produced by a group of agents, using an OpenAI next-generation model significantly more capable than GPT-6 Astra,” the company said.
It added that “the problem concerns whether the description of smooth three-dimensional fluid motion modeled by the Navier-Stokes equations can break down. It has remained unresolved for roughly 90 years.
“This model represents a step-function improvement on many benchmarks, and its training is ongoing. Our internal model group arrived at the Navier–Stokes solution in 88 hours, using around 10,000 coordinating AI agents.
“Throughout the effort, we maintained the strict safeguards — including monitoring and isolation — that we apply to all our frontier evaluations.”
The Navier-Stokes equations describe how fluids flow and for 90 years, with no one able to prove that certain key parts of the equations were mathematically correct.
“The group produced an analytical proof and Lean formalisation that via Navier-Stokes dynamics a fluid can develop a singularity in finite time. The solution is a vortex, a spinning swirl of fluid, that spirals inward and gets increasingly elongated, like spaghetti,” the company stated.
