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Clustering is a classic topic in optimization with $k$-means being one of the most fundamental such problems. In the absence of any restrictions on the input, the best known algorithm for $k$-means with a provable guarantee is a simple…

Data Structures and Algorithms · Computer Science 2017-04-11 Sara Ahmadian , Ashkan Norouzi-Fard , Ola Svensson , Justin Ward

We revisit the classic Maximum $k$-Coverage problem: Determine the largest number $t$ of elements that can be covered by choosing $k$ sets from a given family $\mathcal{F} = \{S_1,\dots, S_n\}$ of a size-$u$ universe. A notable special case…

Data Structures and Algorithms · Computer Science 2026-01-26 Nick Fischer , Marvin Künnemann , Mirza Redzic

We present a $O(1)$-approximate fully dynamic algorithm for the $k$-median and $k$-means problems on metric spaces with amortized update time $\tilde O(k)$ and worst-case query time $\tilde O(k^2)$. We complement our theoretical analysis…

Data Structures and Algorithms · Computer Science 2023-10-27 Sayan Bhattacharya , Martín Costa , Silvio Lattanzi , Nikos Parotsidis

Dependent rounding is a useful technique for optimization problems with hard budget constraints. This framework naturally leads to \emph{negative correlation} properties. However, what if an application naturally calls for dependent…

Data Structures and Algorithms · Computer Science 2016-04-26 Jarosław Byrka , Thomas Pensyl , Bartosz Rybicki , Aravind Srinivasan , Khoa Trinh

Clustering is a hard discrete optimization problem. Nonconvex approaches such as low-rank semidefinite programming (SDP) have recently demonstrated promising statistical and local algorithmic guarantees for cluster recovery. Due to the…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2026-03-05 Peng Xu , Chun-Ying Hou , Xiaohui Chen , Richard Y. Zhang

Goemans and Williamson proposed a randomized rounding algorithm for the MAX-CUT problem with a 0.878 approximation bound in expectation. The 0.878 approximation bound remains the best-known approximation bound for this APX-hard problem.…

Data Structures and Algorithms · Computer Science 2024-06-05 Haoyan Shi , Sanjay Mehrotra

In this paper, we settle the randomized $k$-sever conjecture for the following metric spaces: line, circle, Hierarchically well-separated tree (HST). Specially, we show that there are $O(\log k)$-competitive randomized $k$-sever algorithms…

Data Structures and Algorithms · Computer Science 2015-10-28 Wenbin Chen

We present an $O((\log k)^2)$-competitive randomized algorithm for the $k$-server problem on hierarchically separated trees (HSTs). This is the first $o(k)$-competitive randomized algorithm for which the competitive ratio is independent of…

Data Structures and Algorithms · Computer Science 2017-11-06 Sebastien Bubeck , Michael B. Cohen , James R. Lee , Yin Tat Lee , Aleksander Madry

We study the problem of computing approximate minimum edge cuts by distributed algorithms. We use a standard synchronous message passing model where in each round, $O(\log n)$ bits can be transmitted over each edge (a.k.a. the CONGEST…

Data Structures and Algorithms · Computer Science 2013-11-21 Mohsen Ghaffari , Fabian Kuhn

We give nearly-tight upper and lower bounds for the improving multi-armed bandits problem. An instance of this problem has $k$ arms, each of whose reward function is a concave and increasing function of the number of times that arm has been…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2024-04-02 Avrim Blum , Kavya Ravichandran

We give an $O(\log\log k)$-competitive randomized online algorithm for reordering buffer management, where $k$ is the buffer size. Our bound matches the lower bound of Adamaszek et al. (STOC 2011). Our algorithm has two stages which are…

Data Structures and Algorithms · Computer Science 2013-03-15 Noa Avigdor-elgrabli , Yuval Rabani

The weighted $k$-server problem is a natural generalization of the $k$-server problem in which the cost incurred in moving a server is the distance traveled times the weight of the server. Even after almost three decades since the seminal…

Data Structures and Algorithms · Computer Science 2021-07-15 Nikhil Ayyadevara , Ashish Chiplunkar

For any $\Delta$, let $k_\Delta$ be the maximum integer $k$ such that $(k+1)(k+2)\le \Delta$. We give a distributed \LOCAL algorithm that, given an integer $k < k_\Delta$, computes a valid $\Delta-k$-coloring if one exists. The algorithm…

Data Structures and Algorithms · Computer Science 2026-04-03 Maxime Flin , Magnús M. Halldórsson , Manuel Jakob , Yannic Maus

Building on the blueprint from Goemans and Williamson (1995) for the Max-Cut problem, we construct a polynomial-time approximation algorithm for orthogonally constrained quadratic optimization problems. First, we derive a semidefinite…

Optimization and Control · Mathematics 2026-03-17 Ryan Cory-Wright , Jean Pauphilet

We present optimal competitive algorithms for two interrelated known problems involving Steiner Arborescence. One is the continuous problem of the Symmetric Rectilinear Steiner Arborescence (SRSA), studied by Berman and Coulston. A very…

Distributed, Parallel, and Cluster Computing · Computer Science 2013-07-12 Erez Kantor , Shay Kutten

The connected $k$-median problem is a constrained clustering problem that combines distance-based $k$-clustering with connectivity information. The problem allows to input a metric space and an unweighted undirected connectivity graph that…

Data Structures and Algorithms · Computer Science 2025-07-04 Jan Eube , Kelin Luo , Dorian Reineccius , Heiko Röglin , Melanie Schmidt

The Johnson-Lindenstrauss (JL) Lemma introduced the concept of dimension reduction via a random linear map, which has become a fundamental technique in many computational settings. For a set of $n$ points in $\mathbb{R}^d$ and any fixed…

Data Structures and Algorithms · Computer Science 2026-02-23 Shaofeng H. -C. Jiang , Robert Krauthgamer , Shay Sapir

We propose a new algorithm for k-means clustering in a distributed setting, where the data is distributed across many machines, and a coordinator communicates with these machines to calculate the output clustering. Our algorithm guarantees…

Distributed, Parallel, and Cluster Computing · Computer Science 2023-11-14 Tom Hess , Ron Visbord , Sivan Sabato

Online load balancing for heterogeneous machines aims to minimize the makespan (maximum machine workload) by scheduling arriving jobs with varying sizes on different machines. In the adversarial setting, where an adversary chooses not only…

Data Structures and Algorithms · Computer Science 2024-05-22 Sungjin Im , Ravi Kumar , Shi Li , Aditya Petety , Manish Purohit

The K-means algorithm is one of the most widely studied clustering algorithms in machine learning. While extensive research has focused on its ability to achieve a globally optimal solution, there still lacks a rigorous analysis of its…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2025-06-12 Mingyi Li , Michael R. Metel , Akiko Takeda