annealing

Temperature, an important part of simulated annealing. Image by Dall-E 2.Generic Python code with 3 examplesIn some of my previous posts, I explained heuristics and how you can use them to find good quality solutions for a mathematical optimization problem. In this post, I will provide generic Python code for local search together with simulated annealing. Besides generic code, there are implementations for three classic example problems: the traveling salesman problem, the knapsack problem and the Rastrigin function.A…

Feature selection for scikit-learn models, for datasets with many features, using quantum processingFeature selection is a vast topic in machine learning. When done correctly, it can help reduce overfitting, increase interpretability, reduce the computational burden, etc. Numerous techniques are used to perform feature selection. What they all have in common is that they look at the set of features and try to separate features that lead to good outcomes (accurate predictions, interpretable models, etc) from features that…

It’s all about the temperature. Image by Dall-E 2.Explanation, parameters, strengths, weaknesses and use casesSimulated annealing is an optimization technique that tries to find the global optimum for a mathematical optimization problem. It is a great technique and you can apply it to a wide range of problems. In this post we’ll dive into the definition, strengths, weaknesses and use cases of simulated annealing.You are not supposed to have favorite machine learning models or optimization techniques. But people do have…

A variation on the classic Simulated Annealing optimisation algorithm and its application to the Travelling Salesman ProblemPhoto by Jonathan Greenaway on UnsplashIn my previous article we discussed how to solve the Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP) using the meta-heuristic optimisation algorithm of Simulated Annealing. You can check out that article here:The TSP is a famous combinatorial optimisation and operations research problem. Its objective is to find the shortest distance a salesman can travel through n cities by…

The term ‘annealing’ comes from the field of materials science. It is a process where materials like metal or glass are heated and held at a hot temperature, before being cooled slowly in a controlled manner.The purpose of annealing is to introduce favourable physical properties (e.g., ductility) into the material for smoother downstream manufacturing.The heat causes random rearrangement of atoms in the material, leading to the removal of the weak connections and residual stress within.The subsequent cooling settles the…

Quantum-computing outfit D-Wave has announced commercial access to an "experimental prototype" of its Advantage2 annealing quantum computer.D-Wave is beating its own path to qubit processors with its quantum annealing approach. According to D-Wave, the Advantage2 prototype available today features over 500 qubits. It's a preview of a much larger Advantage2 it hopes to be available by 2024 with 7,000 qubits.   Access to the Advantage2 prototype is restricted to customers who have a D-Wave's Leap cloud service subscription,…