Introducing Kimeme, a Novel Platform for Multi-disciplinary Multi-objective Optimization

Abstract

Optimization processes are an essential element in many practical applications, such as in engineering, chemistry, logistic, finance, etc. To fill the knowledge gap between practitioners and optimization experts, we developed Kimeme, a new flexible platform for multi-disciplinary optimization. A peculiar feature of Kimeme is that it can be used both for problem and algorithm design. It includes a rich graphical environment, a comprehensive set of post-processing tools, and an open-source library of state-of-the-art single and multi-objective optimization algorithms. In a memetic fashion, algorithms are decomposed into operators, so that users can easily create new optimization methods, just combining built-in operators or creating new ones. Similarly, the optimization process is described according to a data-flow logic, so that it can be seamlessly integrated with external software such as Computed Aided Design & Engineering (CAD/CAE) packages, Matlab, spreadsheets, etc. Finally, Kimeme provides a native distributed computing framework, which allows parallel computations on clusters and heterogeneous LANs. Case studies from industry show that Kimeme can be effortlessly applied to industrial optimization problems, producing robust results also in comparison with other platforms on the market.