An efficient hybrid genetic–cuckoo search algorithm for the quadratic assignment problem

Abstract

Quadratic assignment problem (QAP) is one of the most difficult NPhard combinatorial optimization problems with applications ranging from facility layout design, scheduling and manufacturing systems to software optimization. This paper introduces a hybrid metaheuristic algorithm based on genetic algorithm (GA) and cuckoo search (CS); an improved solution quality and convergence speed is observed for QAP instances where GA itself performs poorly as well. This approach leverages the exploration capabilities of GA with computationally intensive exploitation that is easy for CS, to create a balanced yet robust searching mechanism across complex optimization landscapes. We tested the algorithm on benchmark instances taken from quadratic assignment problem library (QAPLIB) and compared it with many classical heuristics such as standard GA, particle swarm optimization (PSO) method and original CS algorithm. Experimental findings showcase that the presented hybrid GA-CS algorithm outperforms traditional standalone GAs regarding solution quality and computational time with significance by promptly converging toward high-quality solutions, especially for medium- to large-scale test instances. In addition, performance improvements over competing methods are shown as statistically significant using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The results show that the proposed hybrid framework is an efficient and accurate optimization technique for solving challenging QAP.