We pleased to announce the release of Microsoft Solver Foundation v3.0. The Express edition is available at http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/solverfoundation. The Standard and Academic Editions of Solver Foundation v3.0 will soon be available online via MSDN and MSDNAA subscriber downloads.

Microsoft Technical Computing’s Solver Foundation provides a complete system for model specification, connection to data sources, and access to best-of-breed solvers for Excel users and .Net programmers. Version 3.0 greatly extends the range of real-world models that can be modeled and solved by Solver Foundation, in particular those involving nonlinear expressions. Here is a partial list of new features:

• A new hybrid local search solver designed to tackle nonlinear models including nonconvex and/or nondifferentiable functions.
• Mixed integer quadratic programming (MIQP) plug-in support. The just-released Gurobi 4.0 solver is the default MIP and MIQP solver for Solver Foundation.
• Full plug-in support for nonlinear and mixed-integer nonlinear solvers, making Solver Foundation the ideal platform for solver experimentation and innovation.
• Access to many new third-party solvers using the new KNITRO and Frontline Solver Platform SDK plug-ins.
• The Compact Quasi-Newton solver is fully accessible from OML and SFS - without the need for specifying gradient information.
• 18 new OML operators: If, Exp, Log, Floor, Ceiling, Sin, Cosh, ArcTan, etc.
• Automatic differentiation (forward and backward).
• Solver Foundation Services improvements:
  • Solver selection
  • Sparse parameters
  • Multiple model support
  • Better C# export
  • Extended exception object model

The only system requirement for using Solver Foundation is .Net 4.0. Excel 2007 or Excel 2010 is required to use the Excel add-in. Try out the Express version and let us know what you think!

The Solver Foundation Team