Key facts
- Ma Xiao helped crack the Hilbert's sixth problem, a century-old puzzle in mathematical physics.
- The breakthrough was published in the Annals of Mathematics, according to the report.
- The work helped propel Ma's collaborator Deng Yu to the 2026 Fields Medal.
- Ma has left the US for China and is pivoting his career toward AI, the report said.
Mathematician Ma Xiao, who two years ago helped crack a century-old puzzle known as the Hilbert's sixth problem, has left the US for China and is pivoting his career toward AI, according to a report published November 5, 2026.
The problem centers on an elusive bridge connecting the chaotic behavior of microscopic atoms with the predictable laws of fluid motion. The breakthrough was published in the Annals of Mathematics, according to the report.
The work helped propel Ma's collaborator Deng Yu to the 2026 Fields Medal, the discipline's highest honor, and secured Ma a position the report describes only in part.