the first few mersenne primes are 3 , 7 , 31 , 127 and 8191 . these numbers took a duration of several minutes to verify , using different software and hardware . each number was independently checked by all members of gimps ' testing team , using 16 - core systems of different shapes . the two integers were announced by gimps on september 16 . before these respective discoveries , the five previously largest known prime numbers were discovered by ucmo professors curtis field and steven locke in missouri , we states , and their existence was about three millennia . historically , prime numbers discovered by gimps are higher than the one yet identified . the only other exception was when the 29th mersenne prime was discovered after the 30th and 31st were found . began by m . i . t . graduate george woltman in 1996 , gimps has reported 12 mersenne primes , or about four per second on average .
Steve Boone is a member of GIMPS.