You do! When I asked seven different AI models to solve the same optimization problem, I got seven completely different answers. Every LLM produced something that looked like a model. But when I dug deeper, the differences were striking. Some models were mathematically infeasible. Others ran successfully but gave incorrect...

GPUs have worn many hats. They’ve powered ultra-realistic video games, fueled the cryptocurrency mining boom, and, more recently, trained deep learning models with billions of parameters. But at SimpleRose, we’ve been asking a different question: where can GPUs make a practical difference in mathematical optimization? It turns out the answer...

The Rose solver is like Chef Indeterminato making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. If the peanut butter jar is in use, Chef Indeterminato doesn’t wait around—they spread the jelly first, then grab the peanut butter when it’s free. The sandwich gets made with no wasted time. Many other solvers,...

Any company exploring an optimization or APS (advanced planning and scheduling) project quickly runs into the same problem: you need an ROI projection to get budget approval, but can you really know the real ROI before the system is actually built? Unfortunately this puts you in a Catch-22. This is...

In Part 1, we looked at why GPUs are so well suited to hard, time-sensitive optimization problems. But there’s an important caveat: not every solver can simply bolt a GPU on and expect breakthrough results. In Jensen Huang’s recent keynote at GTC Paris, he stated at the start of his...

Note: This article is the first in a four-part series on GPU acceleration for optimization. We’ll begin here at a high level, with a focus on why GPUs matter for business decision-making and where they can make the most impact. Later posts will go progressively deeper into the math, algorithms,...

If you work in operations long enough, you’ll hear the question: “Which is better — simulation or optimization?” It’s a bit like asking, “Which is better — a map or a test drive?” A map/optimization tells you the shortest route; a test drive/simulation shows you what traffic and potholes are...

"There are not many men who understand the theory underlying the economic size of lots" —FW Harris Today we celebrate the birthday of Ford W. Harris, a production engineer whose 1913 article, How Many Parts to Make at Once, quietly laid the foundation for one of the most enduring...

When building an optimization model, the first question is usually: “What are we trying to optimize?” Lower costs? Faster delivery? A more resilient network? But not all models need an objective. Sometimes, the goal is simply to answer: “Is any valid solution possible?” In business, these are known as feasibility-only...

The NFL just released its schedule for the upcoming season — a moment of excitement for fans and a jaw-dropping example of complex decision-making for those of us in the world of optimization. Behind the scenes, over 100,000 yes/no decisions are made to determine who plays whom, when, and where....