Construct, Merge, Solve & Adapt

The book introduces a hybrid metaheuristic for combinatorial optimization known as Construct, Merge, Solve & Adapt (CMSA). It outlines a process where, at each iteration, multiple probabilistically generated solutions are created, each comprising various solution components. These components contribute to an initially empty sub-instance, which is then refined using an exact solver to derive the best solution. This approach effectively leverages exact solvers to tackle larger problem instances that would be unmanageable if approached independently.