Scheduling meets n-fold Integer Programming

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that several fundamental scheduling problems are fixed-parameter tractable using n-fold integer programming, highlighting its potential for solving complex combinatorial optimization problems efficiently.

Contribution

The paper extends the application of n-fold integer programming to show fixed-parameter tractability for multiple scheduling problems, providing new algorithmic insights.

Findings

Shows fixed-parameter tractability for makespan minimization on related and unrelated machines.

Establishes fixed-parameter tractability for weighted completion time minimization.

Highlights the relevance of n-fold integer programming in parameterized complexity.

Abstract

Scheduling problems are fundamental in combinatorial optimization. Much work has been done on approximation algorithms for NP-hard cases, but relatively little is known about exact solutions when some part of the input is a fixed parameter. In 2014, Mnich and Wiese initiated a systematic study in this direction. In this paper we continue this study and show that several additional cases of fundamental scheduling problems are fixed parameter tractable for some natural parameters. Our main tool is n-fold integer programming, a recent variable dimension technique which we believe to be highly relevant for the parameterized complexity community. This paper serves to showcase and highlight this technique. Specifically, we show the following four scheduling problems to be fixed-parameter tractable, where p max is the maximum processing time of a job and w max is the maximum weight of a job: - Makespan minimization on uniformly related machines $(Q||C_{max} )$ parameterized by $p_{max}$, - Makespan minimization on unrelated machines $(R||C_{max} )$ parameterized by $p_{max}$ and the number of kinds of machines, - Sum of weighted completion times minimization on unrelated machines $(R|| \sum w_i C_i )$ parameterized by $p_{max} + w_{max}$ and the number of kinds of machines, - The same problem, $(R|| \sum w_i C_i),$ parameterized by the number of distinct job times and the number of machines.