Algorithms that zero in on solutions to optimization problems are the beating heart of machine reasoning. New results reveal surprising limits. Our lives are a succession of optimization problems.

A line of engineering research seeks to develop computers that can tackle a class of challenges called combinatorial optimization problems. These are common in real-world applications such as ...

Over the course of my 25-year career in the mathematical optimization software industry, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been asked this question: “Can you tell me what mathematical ...