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Main Authors: Onizawa, Naoya, Hanyu, Takahiro
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.15561
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author Onizawa, Naoya
Hanyu, Takahiro
author_facet Onizawa, Naoya
Hanyu, Takahiro
contents This article critically investigates the limitations of the simulated annealing algorithm using probabilistic bits (pSA) in solving large-scale combinatorial optimization problems. The study begins with an in-depth analysis of the pSA process, focusing on the issues resulting from unexpected oscillations among p-bits. These oscillations hinder the energy reduction of the Ising model and thus obstruct the successful execution of pSA in complex tasks. Through detailed simulations, we unravel the root cause of this energy stagnation, identifying the feedback mechanism inherent to the pSA operation as the primary contributor to these disruptive oscillations. To address this challenge, we propose two novel algorithms, time average pSA (TApSA) and stalled pSA (SpSA). These algorithms are designed based on partial deactivation of p-bits and are thoroughly tested using Python simulations on maximum cut benchmarks that are typical combinatorial optimization problems. On the 16 benchmarks from 800 to 5,000 nodes, the proposed methods improve the normalized cut value from 0.8% to 98.4% on average in comparison with the conventional pSA.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_15561
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Enhanced Convergence in p-bit Based Simulated Annealing with Partial Deactivation for Large-Scale Combinatorial Optimization Problems
Onizawa, Naoya
Hanyu, Takahiro
Emerging Technologies
Machine Learning
This article critically investigates the limitations of the simulated annealing algorithm using probabilistic bits (pSA) in solving large-scale combinatorial optimization problems. The study begins with an in-depth analysis of the pSA process, focusing on the issues resulting from unexpected oscillations among p-bits. These oscillations hinder the energy reduction of the Ising model and thus obstruct the successful execution of pSA in complex tasks. Through detailed simulations, we unravel the root cause of this energy stagnation, identifying the feedback mechanism inherent to the pSA operation as the primary contributor to these disruptive oscillations. To address this challenge, we propose two novel algorithms, time average pSA (TApSA) and stalled pSA (SpSA). These algorithms are designed based on partial deactivation of p-bits and are thoroughly tested using Python simulations on maximum cut benchmarks that are typical combinatorial optimization problems. On the 16 benchmarks from 800 to 5,000 nodes, the proposed methods improve the normalized cut value from 0.8% to 98.4% on average in comparison with the conventional pSA.
title Enhanced Convergence in p-bit Based Simulated Annealing with Partial Deactivation for Large-Scale Combinatorial Optimization Problems
topic Emerging Technologies
Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.15561