Communication-efficient Distributed Multi-resource Allocation

TL;DR

This paper introduces a communication-efficient distributed algorithm for multi-resource allocation in smart city applications, enabling agents to optimize resource use with minimal communication and no direct inter-agent messaging.

Contribution

It extends the AIMD algorithm to multi-resource settings, allowing decentralized decision-making with only one-bit signals from a central control unit.

Findings

Allocations converge to optimal over time.

Algorithm requires minimal communication.

Agents operate without knowledge of others' allocations.

Abstract

In several smart city applications, multiple resources must be allocated among competing agents that are coupled through such shared resources and are constrained --- either through limitations of communication infrastructure or privacy considerations. We propose a distributed algorithm to solve such distributed multi-resource allocation problems with no direct inter-agent communication. We do so by extending a recently introduced additive-increase multiplicative-decrease (AIMD) algorithm, which only uses very little communication between the system and agents. Namely, a control unit broadcasts a one-bit signal to agents whenever one of the allocated resources exceeds capacity. Agents then respond to this signal in a probabilistic manner. In the proposed algorithm, each agent makes decision of its resource demand locally and an agent is unaware of the resource allocation of other agents. In empirical results, we observe that the average allocations converge over time to optimal allocations.