An experimental large language model (LLM) developed by OpenAI has achieved gold medal-level performance at the 2025 International Math Olympiad (IMO), a milestone in AI reasoning capabilities.
Announcing the result on X, OpenAI researcher Alexander Wei said, “Our latest experimental reasoning LLM has achieved a longstanding grand challenge in AI: gold medal-level performance on the world’s most prestigious math competition—the International Math Olympiad.”
The model was evaluated under the same conditions as human contestants, including two 4.5-hour sessions, no access to tools or internet, and writing detailed proofs based on official IMO problems.
The AI successfully solved 5 out of 6 problems, earning 35 out of 42 possible points. Three former IMO medalists graded each solution independently, with final scores based on unanimous agreement.
IMO problems are widely regarded as some of the most difficult in competitive mathematics, requiring extended periods of creative reasoning.
Wei contextualised the achievement by noting the progression of reasoning benchmarks: “We’ve now progressed from GSM8K (~0.1 min for top humans) → MATH benchmark (~1 min) → AIME (~10 mins) → IMO (~100 mins).”
He added that IMO problems “demand a new level of sustained creative thinking” and that the model’s performance demonstrates progress in “general-purpose reinforcement learning and test-time compute scaling.”
The model is not being released to the public in the near term. “The IMO gold LLM is an experimental research model. We don’t plan to release anything with this level of math capability for several months,” Wei clarified.
While OpenAI plans to release GPT-5 soon, the IMO-capable system is part of a separate research track. “We are releasing GPT-5 soon, and we’re excited for you to try it,” said Wei.
Meanwhile, Yuchen Jin, co-founder of Hyperbolic Labs, also suggested on X that the launch of GPT-5 may be imminent. According to Jin, GPT-5 will not be a single model but a system of multiple specialised models, with a router that dynamically switches between models optimised for reasoning, non-reasoning, and tool use.
He added that this architecture is likely why OpenAI CEO Sam Altman previously spoke about “fixing model naming,” as users would no longer need to select a specific model, with prompts automatically routed to the most suitable one.
Jin also noted that GPT-6 is already in training. “I just hope they’re not delaying it for more safety tests,” he wrote.
Wei also acknowledged the broader implications. “This underscores how fast AI has advanced in recent years. In 2021, my PhD advisor, Jacob Steinhardt, had me forecast AI math progress by July 2025. I predicted 30% on the MATH benchmark… Instead, we have IMO gold.”
Wei credited Sheryl Hsu, Noam Brown, and others for their role in the research.Last year, Google DeepMind’s AlphaProof and AlphaGeometry 2 solved four out of six problems from this year’s International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), achieving a score equivalent to a silver medalist in the competition.
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