Prime numbers have captivated mathematicians for thousands of years—and now cloud computing is helping them chase the biggest ones yet.

These numbers, which are only divisible by 1 and themselves, form the atoms of number theory, so to speak, and have fascinated humankind for thousands of years.

With the help of just a few thousand graphics cards spread across 17 countries' datacenters and some free software, Durant discovered the world's largest known prime number: 2 136,279,841 -1.

Former Nvidia programmer Luke Durant used an unusual computer setup to discover a Mersenne prime that is — wait for it — 41 million digits long.

Large prime numbers can play a role in cryptography algorithms used to protect data in applications such as online banking and private messaging services, Vishwam Sankaran reports for the Independent.

‘Gem’ of a Proof Breaks 80-Year-Old Record, Offers New Insights Into Prime Numbers ...

Nevertheless, people have known since ancient times that infinitely many prime numbers exist, and the prime number twin conjecture states that there are an infinite number of prime number twins ...