DeepMind's AlphaDev, an AI for discovering better algorithms, devised a C++ sorting algorithm that is up to 70% faster; ISO has since added the algorithm to C++
That standards-body ratification is what separates this from prior demos: the algorithm isn't sitting in a paper, it ships inside the toolchain every C++ developer compiles against.
First-order effects
C++ developers get sorting routines up to 70% faster with zero migration effort, because the improvement arrives through the standard library rather than a new library they must adopt.
ISO becomes the first standards body in this coverage to ratify an AI-discovered algorithm, making DeepMind a direct contributor to core language infrastructure.
Second-order effects
Stewards of other languages and standard libraries now face pressure to evaluate AI-discovered implementations, or explain why their defaults are slower than what machine search can find.
Rival AI labs' coding agents are benchmarked against a higher bar: matching human-written code (the AlphaCode framing) is no longer the frontier — beating decades-old library code and getting it standardized is.
Third-order effects
The pipeline from research demo (AlphaCode) to record-breaker (AlphaTensor) to ratified infrastructure (AlphaDev) suggests AI systems moving upstream into foundational software layers, where improvements propagate through everything built on top.
The trend: DeepMind's Alpha series is climbing from playing games to writing programs to discovering algorithms that standards bodies ratify into the base layer of computing.
I hear on average twice a week that current (or even all) AI models will never produce a solution to a complex problem for which they have not found human solutions in the training data https://twitter.com/...
@s_scardapane
Simone Scardapane on x
Personal take: the generated compiler code here had to be double checked and understood before being deployed because there is no correctness guarantee. Also, this is a pretty broad definition of “algorithm”. These press takes are very bad for the field. https://twitter.com/...
@deepmind
@deepmind on x
As society becomes more digital, it's critical to improve the code powering the world's computing. Today in @Nature, we present AlphaDev, an AI system using reinforcement learning to discover enhanced computer science algorithms. How does it work? 🧵 https://dpmd.ai/... [video]
@demishassabis
Demis Hassabis on x
Our latest work in @Nature today: #AlphaDev discovered a new faster sorting algorithm that we open sourced to the main C++ library for all developers to use. This is just the beginning of AI being used to find many more efficiencies in code in future https://dpmd.ai/...
@dj_mankowitz
Daniel J. Mankowitz on x
✨When I joined @DeepMind, I dreamed of using AI to impact the lives of billions of people. Today in @Nature I am proud to present our system AlphaDev that has discovered enhanced fundamental algorithms in computer science! 🚀 A quick thread. 🧵
@andrewcurran_
Andrew Curran on x
Deepmind on how they trained AlphaDev. AlphaDev was so good at this game that they announced in Nature today that some of the new algorithms it discovered are - in some ranges - up to 70% faster than existing ones! https://twitter.com/... [image]
@natureportfolio
@natureportfolio on x
A study in @Nature shows that AlphaDev, an artificial intelligence agent from @DeepMind, discovered new and improved computer sorting algorithms widely used in C++ (a common computer programming language) libraries. https://go.nature.com/3CjfIPe [image]
@0x00b1
Allen Goodman on x
bully for you [image]
@0x00b1
Allen Goodman on x
I'm shocked Nature published this. https://www.nature.com/...
@gynvael
@gynvael on x
I don't like the overhyped PR about this. The title claim is about “faster sorting algorithms discovered”, which suggests something along the lines of a new quick sort/merge sort. Instead this is about assembly-level micro optimizations. Useful? Sure. Groundbreaking? Not sure. ht…
@kelmoujahid
Kemal El Moujahid on x
Sorting is the first thing developers study when learning algorithms, and one of the most optimized fields of CS. AI finding better sorting algorithms is truly groundbreaking. https://twitter.com/...
@jasonacox
Jason A Cox on x
AI used to create a new sort algorithm that is more efficient than LLVM libc++ sort (up to 70% faster)! The model is thinking in machine language. https://www.nature.com/...
@oriolvinyalsml
Oriol Vinyals on x
It took a lot of Deep RL finesse (& some Transformers ❤️) to get the first change in over a decade accepted into the LLVM standard C++ library. AlphaDev, published @Nature by my brilliant colleagues! https://www.deepmind.com/...
@mistertechblog
Lup Yuen Lee on x
“AlphaDev uncovered new Sorting Algorithms that led to improvements in the LLVM libc++ sorting library that were up to 70% faster for shorter sequences and about 1.7% faster for sequences exceeding 250,000 elements” https://www.deepmind.com/...
@sundarpichai
Sundar Pichai on x
Great progress with #Alphadev from Google Deepmind! https://twitter.com/...
@omarsar0
Elvis on x
Just In! DeepMind presents AlphaDev, a deep reinforcement learning agent which discovers faster sorting algorithms from scratch. The algorithms outperform previously known human benchmarks and have been integrated into the LLVM C++ library. https://www.nature.com/... [image]
@dj_mankowitz
Daniel J. Mankowitz on x
Really good article in @WIRED about #AlphaDev! https://www.wired.com/...
@gadgetlab
@gadgetlab on x
AlphaDev has made small but significant improvements to decades-old C++ algorithms. Its builders say that's just the start. https://www.wired.com/...
@hubertusbecker
Dr. Hubertus Becker on x
DeepMind's AI system, AlphaDev, is redefining code writing, making notable improvements to fundamental C++ algorithms. A noteworthy step towards AI mastering coding tasks across a variety of disciplines. #AI #DeepMind #AlphaDev #CodingInnovation https://www.wired.com/... [image]
@techreview
@techreview on x
DeepMind's run of discoveries in fundamental computer science continues. https://www.technologyreview.com/ ...