IBM Taps Renowned Mathematician to Crack Computing's Hardest Problems

IBM has appointed renowned mathematician Subhash Khot as a senior researcher to study the boundary between what computers can solve efficiently and what may remain impractical. This appointment reflects IBM's commitment to foundational research, which examines the principles beneath a technology rather than aiming at a particular product.

Khot's work could help clarify where a more ingenious method might produce a breakthrough and where researchers may need to change their approach. He believes that there is no other solution than to have fast algorithms, as a faster algorithm would make an enormous difference.

As AI systems produce new results on long-standing math problems, Khot's expertise will be crucial in developing more efficient algorithms for computing. His research has already led to significant breakthroughs, including the 2-to-2 Games Theorem and the Unique Games Conjecture.