978: A Post-Transformer Architecture Crushes Sudoku (Transformers Solve ~0%)

978: A Post-Transformer Architecture Crushes Sudoku (Transformers Solve ~0%)

Author: Jon Krohn March 27, 2026 Duration: 10:39
A game millions of people solve over morning coffee is exposing a fundamental weakness in today’s most powerful AI models. In this Five-Minute Friday, Jon Krohn breaks down Pathway’s new Sudoku Extreme benchmark, roughly 250,000 of the hardest Sudoku puzzles available and why leading LLMs like o3-mini, DeepSeek-R1, and Claude 3.7 Sonnet scored effectively zero percent, while Pathway’s post-transformer BDH architecture achieved 97.4% accuracy at a fraction of the cost. Listen to the episode to find out what BDH is doing differently, why Sudoku performance matters far beyond puzzles, and what this means for the future of AI reasoning. Additional materials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.superdatascience.com/978⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information.

Hosted by Dr. Jon Krohn, Super Data Science: ML & AI Podcast with Jon Krohn is a deep and accessible exploration of how artificial intelligence and machine learning are reshaping our world. Each episode features conversations with leading researchers, engineers, and entrepreneurs from both academia and industry, breaking down complex ideas into something tangible and relevant. You'll hear firsthand about emerging techniques, practical applications, and the evolving landscape of data-driven careers. The sheer volume of data in our world is growing at a staggering rate, and this podcast serves as a guide to understanding that expansion and finding your place within it. Rather than offering abstract theory, these discussions focus on real-world impact, from cutting-edge algorithms to the human stories behind major breakthroughs. Tune in for a thoughtful, nuanced look at the tools and trends that are defining the future, all through the lens of experts who are building that future every day. Whether you're actively working in the field or simply curious about the forces driving technological change, this podcast provides a consistent source of insight and inspiration, demystifying the science that is quietly transforming every aspect of our lives.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Super Data Science: ML & AI Podcast with Jon Krohn
Podcast Episodes
1016: In Case You Missed It in July 2026 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:27
In this month's episode of ICYMI, Jon Krohn traces a line from algorithmic harm to the human skills that still hold their value. Hear from Dr. Cathy O'Neil, Ben Todd, Steve Mock, and Dr. Catherine Williams, discussing wh…
1009: How AI Is Quietly Saving Lives, with Steve Mock [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:17
In Episode #1009, Steve Mock (investor at Blumberg Capital, five-time entrepreneur and creator of aisavedme.org), joins Jon Krohn to explore the quiet layer of everyday AI adoption that rarely gets documented. After his…
1008: The AI-Native Startup Playbook [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:33
In Episode #1008, Jon Krohn digs into Anthropic's 35-page Founder's Playbook and pulls out the practical guidance for each of its four startup stages: Idea, MVP, Launch and Scale. AI has erased the three bottlenecks that…