Famous math star Ma Tieu said he will return to China to focus on the AI ​​field instead of pure scientific research.

At the age of 28, mathematician Ma Xiao decided to quit his job in the US and move to the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in Hefei, Anhui province. According to USTC's November 1 announcement, he accepted an associate professor position at the Institute of General Artificial Intelligence and the Institute of Geometry and Physics of the university.

Two years ago, Ma contributed to finding a solution to a puzzle that has existed since the last century, called Hilbert's Sixth Problem. This problem that has troubled many scientists focuses on finding a "bridge" between the chaotic atomic world and the regular laws of motion of fluids (water and air). The breakthrough, published in the journal Annals of Mathematics, helped Ma's colleague Dang Vu win the 2026 Fields Medal, the highest honor in mathematics, and also earned him a faculty position at the University of Michigan.

The decision to return to China marked a turning point in Ma's career. Instead of pursuing elusive theorems, he wants to try his hand in the new field of artificial general intelligence with the belief that future mathematical discoveries will be made by computers themselves.

From a young age, Ma Tieu showed mathematical talent. Born in Tan Huong city, Henan province, he was fascinated by a math problem in 6th grade and began self-studying college calculus. While some other prodigies like Dang Vu walked the path of international math competition, Ma Tieu enrolled in USTC's School for the Gifted in 2014 when he was 16 years old. The school was founded in 1978 and each year recruits about 40 talented students from across China even though they have not graduated from high school. 90% of them continue their higher education at research institutes and universities both at home and abroad.

After earning his bachelor's degree at USTC in 2018, Ma moved to Princeton University in the US to pursue a doctorate. In 2022, he began working on solving Hilbert's Sixth Problem with Deng and his instructor Zaher Hani. Ma graduated with a PhD in Mathematics in 2023, then continued to participate in postdoctoral training at the University of Michigan and was appointed to the position of Donald J. Lewis research assistant professor. In 2024, he and Deng achieved a breakthrough on Hilbert's Sixth Problem. "Without Ma's participation, we would have had to take many detours," Deng shared with Xinxiang Daily in July.

According to 36Kr, Ma revealed that he has spent a lot of effort on AI over the past year, especially focusing on agents and automated scientific research. "In a short time, AI will certainly reach a very high level and I don't even rule out the possibility that it can solve Hilbert's Sixth Problem," Ma predicts.

Ma now faces a big challenge when focusing on AI in his new role at USTC. "In the next 2-3 years, I will probably shift my main focus to agents," he told DeepTech. Ma said he has developed an agent system that specializes in solving proof problems called qmd-prover. He is also trying to link ideas, proofs, verifications and paper writing into an automated process.

"When accepting students, I require them to know how to use tools like Codex, Claude Code and Git. If you don't know how to use these things, you can easily become 'technology illiterate' in the new age," Ma shared.

Inaugurated in January 2026, USTC's Institute of General Artificial Intelligence aims to develop a new generation platform model, embodied intelligence, and bring AI into scientific research. The intersection of Ma's research backgrounds provides a new perspective to observe the evolution of fundamental mathematics and AI.

An Khang summary