Solving the greatest mystery of computer science — P = NP — isn’t just a computer revolution. It’s dismantling the system that conceals Divinity.
In algorithmic complexity theory, there is the P = NP problem. In short: is it possible to find a solution to a problem as quickly as it can be verified?
The End of the Age of the “Hidden”
Today, our digital world is built on the “difficulty of searching.” Cryptography, passwords, banking security, and the very architecture of online trust are based on this principle. If P = NP were proven, the boundary between searching and verifying would be fundamentally erased.
From a Hasidic perspective, this reflects the advent of the Era of Messiah. If today Divinity is hidden behind the “laws of nature” and requires effort to be revealed, then in the Age of Redemption we will “see Divinity in everything”—without concealment and without the resistance of matter.
The Collapse of Digital Walls
One possible consequence of proving P = NP would be a radical change in the principles of asymmetric encryption (RSA, ECC, DSA).
Digital signatures, passwords, and data protection systems in their current form would become untenable. What was previously considered virtually unsolvable would become computable in a reasonable amount of time. The very concept of a “hidden key” would require a complete overhaul.
The Rebbe King Moshiach teaches that in the future world there will be no room for lies or hidden motives. Technological transparency could become a kind of “forced honesty” — a tool of the Creator for removing veils. A world built on concealment would begin to lose its foundation.
Optimization of Matter
When algorithms reach the limits of efficiency, the chaos of scarcity can give way to order. Artificial intelligence could re-optimize global supply chains in real time, taking into account weather, demand, and political factors.
This echoes the prophecy of Isaiah: “And they shall beat their swords into plowshares.”
Transportation systems, energy networks, and resource distribution could become highly coordinated. The causes of conflict rooted in scarcity and inefficiency would begin to disappear.
This would represent the preparation of a material “vessel” for infinite Light—a state in which “there will be no hunger, no wars, no envy, no rivalry.”
Unity Instead of Disunity
Solving the P = NP problem in its most radical scenario would mean that humanity is compelled to think globally. Optimizing the entire planet is impossible within the logic of egoistic competition.
The Rebbe explains that the purpose of Creation is to make “a dwelling place for God in the lower worlds.” To achieve this, matter must become “transparent” to spirituality.
Technologies reaching levels that until recently seemed miraculous demonstrate that the world is ripe. As the Rebbe said, all the “buttons are already polished,” and all that remains is to “open our eyes” and see the reality of Redemption.
From Computing to Cognition
When technology takes over responsibility for survival, logistics, and security, humanity is freed to harness a colossal resource—both intellectual and spiritual.
That resource is directed toward the ultimate purpose: “And the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Most High, as the waters cover the sea.”