Papers › Fast Genetic Algorithms
Fast Genetic Algorithms
Benjamin Doerr, Huu Phuoc Le, Régis Makhmara, Ta Duy Nguyen
For genetic algorithms using a bit-string representation of length~n, the general recommendation is to take 1/n as mutation rate. In this work, we discuss whether this is really justified for multimodal functions. Taking jump functions and the (1+1) evolutionary algorithm as the simplest example, we observe that larger mutation rates give significantly better runtimes. For the _(m,n) function, any mutation rate between 2/n and m/n leads to a speed-up at least exponential in m compared to the standard choice. The asymptotically best runtime, obtained from using the mutation rate m/n and leading to a speed-up super-exponential in m, is very sensitive to small changes of the mutation rate. Any deviation by a small (1 ±) factor leads to a slow-down exponential in m. Consequently, any fixed mutation rate gives strongly sub-optimal results for most jump functions. Building on this observation, we propose to use a random mutation rate α/n, where α is chosen from a power-law distribution. We prove that the (1+1) EA with this heavy-tailed mutation rate optimizes any _(m,n) function in a time that is only a small polynomial (in~m) factor above the one stemming from the optimal rate for this m. Our heavy-tailed mutation operator yields similar speed-ups (over the best known performance guarantees) for the vertex cover problem in bipartite graphs and the matching problem in general graphs. Following the example of fast simulated annealing, fast evolution strategies, and fast evolutionary programming, we propose to call genetic algorithms using a heavy-tailed mutation operator \emph{fast genetic algorithms}.
In Syntology Open this paper in Syntology's Atlas, the map of the papers in Syntology's graph and their citations.
Code
Repository list and official/mentioned flags are the archive's, frozen 2025-07-28. Reachability, where shown, is from one Syntology probe window (2026-09-16 to 2026-09-18); repositories not probed show nothing. GitHub stars are not tracked.
Code Syntology ran Syntology
Not run by Syntology. Nothing on this page verifies that the listed code works.
Results from the paper archive 2025-07-28
No leaderboard rows for this paper in the archive.
Report a problem or propose a change · a person checks every report against the paper or source before anything changes; decisions are listed on /corrections