New Method Is the Fastest Way To Find the Best Routes
1 min read
Summary
The “shortest paths” problem in computing is finding the most efficient route from one node in a network to all other nodes.
While the problem has many real-world applications, its complexity means current solutions are limited.
Researchers have been working for decades to find more efficient algorithms for solving the “shortest paths” problem, but they have been struggling to overcome a fundamental limit known as the sorting barrier.
This relates to the need to sort data as you move through the problem, and there is a maximum speed at which this can be done.
Now, a team of researchers from the US and China has devised a new algorithm that avoids sorting and shatters the barrier.
“It’s an amazing result,” said one computer scientist at Princeton University.
The team is now investigating whether it is possible to make the new algorithm even faster.
