IBM mathematician Subhash Khot is rethinking computing's hardest problems

IBM Research mathematician Subhash Khot, best known for the Unique Games Conjecture, is investigating the theoretical boundary between computationally tractable and intractable problems — a frontier with direct implications for optimization, cryptography, and quantum computing. As AI systems begin generating novel results on longstanding mathematical problems, Khot's work examines whether those results expose genuine algorithmic advances or remain bounded by classical complexity limits. His research intersects with post-quantum cryptography, where the hardness of certain problems underpins security guarantees that enterprises and governments are now racing to implement. The piece positions IBM Research at the junction of foundational mathematics and applied AI, arguing that understanding computational hardness is prerequisite to responsibly deploying AI in high-stakes domains.