Network & infrastructure optimization
Better use of connected systems
4colors coordinates flows, capacity and change across telecom, energy, transport and computing networks. It judges every link against the whole system.
Selected by Dstl, UK Ministry of Defence, for scalable algorithms on complex networks.
A local change can move the bottleneck
A communications link is approaching capacity, so traffic is moved onto another route. That path now becomes congested. In a power network, a new connection changes flows elsewhere.
In a data center, moving a workload frees one accelerator but increases memory or network pressure somewhere else.
The network's connections are what make isolated improvements unreliable. Decisions must be evaluated across the system.
Eight sites; a red site cuts the network in two if it fails.
Single points of failure2
Links added0
Illustrative example, not customer data.
The network decisions that shift the bottleneck
Flow and routing allocation
Assign demand to available paths subject to capacities, reliability requirements, latency or other service constraints. The shortest path may not be the best route for the network as a whole.
Capacity and infrastructure planning
Explore where an upgrade, additional resource or changed configuration has the greatest effect. Tradeoffs may involve cost, service quality, resilience and budgets.
Maintenance and operational change
Plan around outages, construction, shifting demand and limited resources. A good solution may minimize disruption while keeping essential services within their operating limits.
The model determines the algorithm
From the solver engine to ready-made planning apps, pick the level that suits your team.
4colors Optimizer
The solver engine behind every 4colors product. A portfolio of search methods for hard planning decisions in routing, loading, scheduling and allocation, from Python or the API.
Optimizer for Scheduling
Advanced scheduling algorithms for the software you build to manage jobs, machines, people and resources. Due dates, setups and shared resources sit in one model.
Planning Applications
Takt, Roster and Stride bring optimization to production, shift and project planning. When a rush order lands or someone calls in sick, each re-plans within your rules.
Custom Optimization
Original models and algorithms built around your own resources, rules and objectives. We work with your team from the first prototype to a planner that runs in your systems.
Explore deeper
Telecommunications Routing looks at capacity and path choices. Network Design concerns structural decisions and investment. AI & Computing and Energy & Utilities show how related structures arise in different industries.
Our large-network algorithms research explores computational methods for graph analytics at demanding scale.
Why network optimization is difficult
Explore more use cases- Use case
Finding Useful Structure in Networks of Decisions
The same drawing can describe three very different optimization problems.
Explore the use case - Use case
Keeping Traffic Moving While a Network Changes
A route that works for one flow may not work when everybody takes it.
Explore the use case - Insight
Frequency Assignment: A Coloring Problem with Real-World Complications
The map-coloring idea becomes more interesting when the colors are radio channels.
Read the insight - Insight
What Can an Optimization Benchmark Actually Tell Us?
The most useful performance comparison depends on when you need the answer and what kind of answer you need.
Read the insight
Bring us the system-wide challenge
Discuss a network optimization problemExplore Custom Optimization