Academic Exchange

Wang Longfei, Senior Engineer at the General Solver Laboratory, is mainly responsible for solver-related research and development. He joined the Shenzhen Research Institute of Big Data (SRIBD) in 2021 and received the Outstanding Contribution Award in 2024. Over his three years at SRIBD, Wang Longfei has earned widespread recognition and high praise from his colleagues for his unwavering professionalism, efficiency and pragmatic work attitude, and meticulous approach to his work.

First Encounter

In 2020, the General Solver Laboratory was established, and Wang Longfei collaborated with the lab for the first time through a project, during which he became involved in solver development. "For someone studying operations optimization, participating in the development of solvers is not only a highly challenging technical task but also a dream come true. We all used solver software during our studies, but very few of us had the opportunity to delve into the underlying algorithms and their implementation." Wang realized that if he had the chance to work on the same tasks as the pioneers in solver development, it would be an enormous recognition of his career and a great honor.

Transitioning from a user to a developer was both a challenge and an exciting opportunity for Wang.

Solvers are a relatively low-level technology, often called the "crown" of the operations optimization field due to their high technical barrier, development difficulty, long-time investment, and high risk. Developers must have a solid knowledge of optimization theory and excellent software development skills. Globally, the solver market is dominated by a few players, and many companies, due to resource constraints, prefer to use solvers as core tools for specific project phases. Currently, there are only a few companies in China that develop their solvers, and many have yet to realize the vast potential of the solver market. "Solvers play a crucial role in several key fields and are an important part of AI development. The institute has a far-sighted vision, strategic insight, and a strong sense of national responsibility. When facing technical bottlenecks and market gaps in China, it actively laid out a strategic plan." This was a key reason why Wang chose to join the team.

Challenges

However, developing solver software is a complex and challenging task involving the application of numerous algorithms. Due to the confidentiality of core technologies, researchers often have to explore based on publicly available algorithm frameworks. For Wang, he needed to design and develop the solver from scratch with his team, constantly experimenting in practice to create efficient and practical algorithms. This process required patience, intelligence, and courage. After three years of hard work, they developed the general optimization software "Xianpeng Solver."

Wang understood that to achieve international leading performance, they had to consider many factors, including algorithm design, code implementation, and performance optimization. He likened the process to interstellar exploration, where the team had to navigate through the vast darkness guided by distant starlight, continuously maintaining, upgrading, and refining their "spaceship" to reach their destination faster or explore unknown territories.

During solver development, Wang constantly came up with new ideas, such as handling special decision variables and choosing strategies for different algorithm logics. Each idea needed to be tested through repeated experiments and extensive calculations to determine its feasibility. This process not only tested the ideas themselves but also Wang's deep understanding of models and algorithms, his coding skills, and his perseverance. To meet these challenges, Wang kept an open mind and a flexible approach, always willing to try new ideas and face failure and setbacks head-on. When an idea proved unworkable, he would quickly adjust course and seek new directions. This rigorous, steady, and rational attitude helped him continually progress in solver development.

In addition, solver development required significant ongoing resource support. "The institute provided a great platform with top-notch professors and cutting-edge research in related fields. We also received sufficient hardware and computational resources, as well as a free and supportive development environment, allowing us to focus fully on the software development, overcoming many technical challenges." He mentioned that the institute’s support was crucial to the project’s progress, enabling the General Solver Laboratory to develop a solver in just over three years that took top global solvers 20 to 30 years to achieve, surpassing some well-known solvers in key metrics. The lab has also undertaken several national research projects and established deep collaborations with leading domestic companies.

Belief

"I hope to develop a solver that people find useful and valuable, and I’m prepared to spend many years, even a lifetime, on this mission." Wang Longfei is driven by a pure belief in creating world-class solver software. He knows that this journey may take a long time, but for him, it has become his life’s work and pursuit. Wang firmly believes that through persistent effort and continuous innovation, he will ultimately achieve this goal, creating an efficient, self-developed solver for China. To achieve this, he will continue to improve himself, delve into every technical detail of solvers, expand his research scope, explore interdisciplinary topics in applied mathematics, and experiment with different technical approaches and methodologies. He also aims to advance the application of solvers in major industries, refining their performance and functionality through real-world use.

Wang looks forward to organized engineering training and knowledge-sharing sessions to further deepen his technical knowledge and foster broader dissemination within the team. Additionally, he will actively support the institute’s commercialization strategy, exploring how to turn algorithms into practical solutions and products to maximize societal value and make greater contributions to society.

With unwavering determination and passion, Wang Longfei is sure to reach new heights and bright horizons in his engineering journey!