
Google and OpenAI's AI models win milestone gold at global math competition
Alphabet's
and
OpenAI
said their artificial-intelligence models won gold medals at a global mathematics competition, signaling a breakthrough in math capabilities in the race to build powerful systems that can rival human intelligence.
The results marked the first time that AI systems crossed the gold-medal scoring threshold at the International Mathematical Olympiad for high-school students. Both companies' models solved five out of six problems, achieving the result using general-purpose "reasoning" models that processed mathematical concepts using natural language, in contrast to the previous approaches used by AI firms.
The achievement suggests AI is less than a year away from being used by mathematicians to crack unsolved research problems at the frontier of the field, according to Junehyuk Jung, a math professor at Brown University and visiting researcher in Google's DeepMind AI unit.
"I think the moment we can solve hard reasoning problems in natural language will enable the potential for collaboration between AI and mathematicians," Jung told Reuters.
OpenAI's breakthrough was achieved with a new experimental model centered on massively scaling up "test-time compute." This was done by both allowing the model to "think" for longer periods and deploying parallel computing power to run numerous lines of reasoning simultaneously, according to Noam Brown, researcher at OpenAI. Brown declined to say how much in computing power it cost OpenAI, but called it "very expensive."
To OpenAI researchers, it is another clear sign that AI models can command extensive reasoning capabilities that could expand into other areas beyond math.
The optimism is shared by Google researchers, who believe AI models' capabilities can apply to research quandaries in other fields such as physics, said Jung, who won an IMO gold medal as a student in 2003.
Of the 630 students participating in the 66th IMO on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, 67 contestants, or about 11%, achieved gold-medal scores. Google's DeepMind AI unit last year achieved a silver medal score using AI systems specialized for math. This year, Google used a general-purpose model called Gemini Deep Think, a version of which was previously unveiled at its annual developer conference in May.
Unlike previous AI attempts that relied on formal languages and lengthy computation, Google's approach this year operated entirely in natural language and solved the problems within the official 4.5-hour time limit, the company said in a blog post. OpenAI, which has its own set of reasoning models, similarly built an experimental version for the competition, according to a post by researcher Alexander Wei on social media platform X. He noted that the company does not plan to release anything with this level of math capability for several months.
This year marked the first time the competition coordinated officially with some AI developers, who have for years used prominent math competitions like IMO to test model capabilities. IMO judges certified the results of those companies, including Google, and asked them to publish results on July 28.
"We respected the IMO Board's original request that all AI labs share their results only after the official results had been verified by independent experts and the students had rightly received the acclamation they deserved," Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said on X on Monday.
OpenAI, which published its results on Saturday and first claimed gold-medal status, said in an interview that it had permission from an IMO board member to do so after the closing ceremony on Saturday.
The competition on Monday allowed cooperating companies to publish results, Gregor Dolinar, president of IMO's board, told Reuters.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Hindu
20 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation inks MoU with Google Play to train students as game developers
A memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation and Google Play and Unity to train computer science students under the 'Naan Mudhalvan' programme. The MoU for 'Google Play and Unity Game Developer Training Programme' was signed in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin at the Secretariat in Chennai. Under the MoU, final-year students would be trained as game developers, artists, and programmers, an official release said. A total of 250 students from the State would undergo the training, the release said. Kunal Soni, Director, Google Play APAC Scaled Partner Management & Ecosystem Partnerships, and Aditi Chaturvedi, Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy, Platforms & Devices, India, Google, were present. At another event, the Deputy Chief Minister visited the Nehru Park at Kilpauk in Chennai and reviewed the work on establishing a para-badminton court at a cost of ₹2.38 crore. Infrastructure for para-sports is being established in five other districts at a cost of ₹1 crore each, an official release said.


Time of India
37 minutes ago
- Time of India
Pete Hegseth in hot water: Pentagon boss told to shape up or face the axe, sources say
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been warned in private to change his behavior or he could be removed from his job. The warning came after a series of scandals involving Hegseth that have embarrassed the Pentagon and the White House. One major controversy started when Hegseth fired three Pentagon staffers this spring — Darin Selnick, Dan Caldwell, and Colin Carroll — accusing them of leaking information, but without offering solid proof, say Politico sources. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Data Science healthcare Others CXO Management Operations Management Leadership Finance MCA Product Management Artificial Intelligence PGDM Degree Project Management others Public Policy Healthcare Digital Marketing Cybersecurity MBA Data Analytics Technology Design Thinking Data Science Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months E&ICT Academy, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati CERT-IITG Postgraduate Cert in AI and ML India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 10 Months E&ICT Academy, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati CERT-IITG Prof Cert in DS & BA with GenAI India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 30 Weeks IIM Kozhikode SEPO - IIMK-AI for Senior Executives India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 10 Months IIM Kozhikode CERT-IIMK DABS India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months IIT Madras CERT-IITM Advanced Cert Prog in AI and ML India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 30 Weeks IIM Kozhikode SEPO - IIMK-AI for Senior Executives India Starts on undefined Get Details Officials inside and outside the Pentagon were so concerned, they held an 'intervention' with Hegseth. White House officials and aides to Vice President JD Vance even began their own investigation to find out if the fired staffers were actually responsible for leaks — but they found no evidence. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Dubai villas | search ads Get Deals Undo ALSO READ: Bryan Johnson plans to shut down multi-million dollar anti-aging startup blueprint amid scaling and credibility challenges Hegseth's team couldn't provide any clear proof that the three men leaked anything, which made the situation worse. A person close to Hegseth told Politico, 'There's going to be more shoes to drop all around,' suggesting more problems or scandals might come out soon. Live Events More scandals keep coming Another major scandal involved a Signal group chat, where members of the Trump administration, including Hegseth, discussed plans to bomb Houthi rebel targets in Yemen. The Signal chat accidentally included Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic, who was not supposed to be there, which made the situation even more embarrassing, as stated by Politico report. Hegseth also reportedly tried to stop U.S. military aid from reaching Ukraine, even though that decision was not his to make. President Trump later reversed Hegseth's decision and pretended he didn't know who had stopped the aid, even though Hegseth was sitting right next to him during a press interaction. Last week, the Daily Mail reported that several Pentagon officials now want Hegseth to be removed because of all the controversies. The Washington Post also reported that the Signal chat included messages that may have contained classified U.S. government information, which could lead to serious consequences, as per the report by Politico. Some people close to Hegseth are now urging him to apologize to the three aides he fired, in hopes of calming down the crisis. One source told Politico: 'If there's any chance of Pete resetting and ensuring that whatever time he has left in this position is well served, he's got to. Otherwise Pete is just doubling down on the lie.' White House still supports him According to the reports, despite everything, the White House and Pentagon are still standing by Hegseth, and have not taken steps to remove him yet, multiple outlets confirm. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told the Daily Beast that under Trump and Hegseth, military recruitment is breaking records and that Hegseth is 'reviving the warrior ethos' and putting 'America First.' ALSO READ: Texas lake hits 100% capacity after 15 years — officials urge caution amid flooding fears White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told the Daily Beast that President Trump has 'full confidence' in Hegseth, and praised his leadership of the Department of Defense. Kelly also highlighted that Hegseth played a 'critical role' in Operation Midnight Hammer, a military mission that bombed Iranian military targets. She said Hegseth is prioritizing warfighters, eliminating terrorists, and restoring 'common sense' to the U.S. military. However, not everyone agrees with the praise — one anonymous critic told Politico: 'If they want to give Pete a pass—fine. Because at the end of the day, he's going to keep f---ing up.' Vice President JD Vance's office did not respond when The Daily Beast reached out for a comment on the situation, as per the report by Politico. FAQs Q1. Why is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth facing calls to be fired? Pete Hegseth is facing calls to be fired because of scandals involving wrongful firings, secret chats leaking information, and blocking military aid without proof. Q2. Is the White House still supporting Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary? Yes, the White House says it has full confidence in Pete Hegseth and supports his leadership despite the controversies.


Time of India
44 minutes ago
- Time of India
Microsoft heads into Q4 earnings announcement with one big Risk Question: Is the company's AI ...
Microsoft investors who will be attending the company's upcoming fourth quarter earnings call may have one 'big question' for the tech giant. They are expected to ask the company: Is the company's AI 'upper hand' at risk as its partner OpenAI plans to go public while reportedly discussing partnership opportunities with rivals like Google, Oracle and CoreWeave for cloud services? Due to its exclusive licensing deals and access to OpenAI's models, Microsoft has been a significant beneficiary of the generative AI boom. This partnership has reportedly fueled growth in Microsoft's Azure cloud business and pushed its market value toward $4 trillion. According to data shared by Visible Alpha (seen by the news agency Reuters), the tie-up is expected to have driven a 34.8% increase in Microsoft's cloud service Azure's revenue for the April-June quarter, which exceeds the 33% rise in the last quarter. However, the partnership deal is currently being renegotiated as OpenAI aims for a public listing. As per recent reports, a potential deadlock over the extent of Microsoft's access to the technology of the ChatGPT maker and its stake is expected in the coming days, if OpenAI convert into a public-benefit company. This conversion requires Microsoft's approval and is crucial for a $40 billion funding round led by SoftBank Group, with $20 billion contingent on the restructuring being finalised by the end of 2025. Meanwhile, OpenAI has recently deepened its Oracle ties with a planned 4.5 gigawatts of data centre capacity and added Google Cloud as a supplier for computing capacity. Why investors may still have confidence in the Microsoft OpenAI deal According to a report by Reuters, UBS analysts have noted that investor opinions on the Microsoft–OpenAI deal are mixed. However, Microsoft maintains a stronger position in the partnership. 'Microsoft's leadership earned enough credibility … such that the company will end up negotiating terms that will be in the interest of its shareholders,' the analysts said to Reuters. Some of that confidence among investors appears to be reflected in Microsoft's stock performance, which has gained over 20% so far this year. During the April–June period (fourth quarter of Microsoft's fiscal year), the company may have seen positive effects from a weaker dollar, steady demand for non-AI Azure services, and early Windows orders by PC makers anticipating potential US tariffs, Reuters noted. Meanwhile, revenue is projected to have grown by 14% to $73.81 billion, marking its most significant increase in three quarters, according to LSEG data seen by Reuters. The company's profit is also expected to have risen 14.2% to $25.16 billion, though this represents a slightly slower pace than the prior quarter due to higher operating expenses. Apart from this, capital spending is also likely to draw attention in the earnings call after Alphabet recently announced $10 billion increase in its annual budget. Microsoft has indicated it is still facing capacity limits in AI and suggested further capital expenditure growth after spending over $80 billion last fiscal year. However, the pace may be slower and focused on shorter-term assets like AI chips. According to Dan Morgan of Synovus Trust, who holds Microsoft stock, the investment appears to be yielding results. 'Investors may still be underestimating the potential for Microsoft's AI business to drive durable consumption growth in the agentic AI era,' Morgan said to Reuters. iQOO Z10R 5G goes on Sale: BEST Budget Phone for Content Creators? AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now