AI and the World's Hard Problems · Theoretical computer science · Anthropic · 2026-10-18
Building a C compiler with parallel Claudes
A team of 16 parallel Claude agents was tasked with writing a Rust-based C compiler from scratch, capable of compiling the Linux kernel. Over nearly 2,000 Claude Code sessions and $20,000 in API costs, the agents produced a 100,000-line compiler that can build Linux 6.9 on x86, ARM, and RISC-V. The project also yielded lessons on designing harnesses for long-running autonomous agent teams, such as writing tests that keep agents on track without human oversight and structuring work so agents can progress in parallel.