Searching for Optimisation

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Abstract

Operations Research (OR) can be dened as a scientic approach
to the solution of problems in the management of complex systems.
It uses quantitative methods to help decision makers design, analyse,
and improve the performance or operation of these systems. An im-
portant part of this, is dening and solving optimisation problems.
One can only be interested in nding the best solution, but often (in
practice) a combination of, or interaction between, the quality of the
solution and the computation time is important. Model-based algo-
rithms and heuristics have traditionally played a role in this, however,
data-based methods such as machine learning are increasingly used.
Hardware improvements are also not to be underestimated. A major
improvement in the computing power of conventional computers has
made problem solving methods more ecient over the past 40 years
and is still ongoing. This is currently being reinforced by the use
of GPU processors, the emergence of quantum computers and other
technological solutions such as photonic accelerators. This playing
eld of OR problems and the use of machine learning and existing
and emerging hardware accelerations to dene and solve them is the
topic of the eld of `Computational Operations Research', which is
discussed further in this article.
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationMaastricht
PublisherMaastricht University
Number of pages23
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 25 May 2022

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