On fully dynamic constant-factor approximation algorithms for clustering problems

TL;DR

This paper investigates the limits and possibilities of maintaining constant-factor approximate solutions for dynamic clustering problems in metric spaces, providing new lower bounds and algorithms for various clustering objectives.

Contribution

It establishes lower bounds on update times for dynamic clustering algorithms and introduces the first fully dynamic algorithms with constant approximation ratios for certain problems.

Findings

No fully dynamic $O(1)$-approximation with subpolynomial update time against adaptive adversaries.

Linear lower bound on update time for some clustering problems even against oblivious adversaries.

First dynamic algorithms with constant approximation for $k$-sum-of-radii and $k$-sum-of-diameters.

Abstract

Clustering is an important task with applications in many fields of computer science. We study the fully dynamic setting in which we want to maintain good clusters efficiently when input points (from a metric space) can be inserted and deleted. Many clustering problems are $\mathsf{APX}$-hard but admit polynomial time $O(1)$-approximation algorithms. Thus, it is a natural question whether we can maintain $O(1)$-approximate solutions for them in subpolynomial update time, against adaptive and oblivious adversaries. Only a few results are known that give partial answers to this question. There are dynamic algorithms for $k$-center, $k$-means, and $k$-median that maintain constant factor approximations in expected $\tilde{O}(k^{2})$ update time against an oblivious adversary. However, for these problems there are no algorithms known with an update time that is subpolynomial in $k$, and against an adaptive adversary there are even no (non-trivial) dynamic algorithms known at all. In this paper, we complete the picture of the question above for all these clustering problems. 1. We show that there is no fully dynamic $O(1)$-approximation algorithm for any of the classic clustering problems above with an update time in $n^{o(1)}h(k)$ against an adaptive adversary, for an arbitrary function $h$. 2. We give a lower bound of $\Omega(k)$ on the update time for each of the above problems, even against an oblivious adversary. 3. We give the first $O(1)$-approximate fully dynamic algorithms for $k$-sum-of-radii and for $k$-sum-of-diameters with expected update time of $\tilde{O}(k^{O(1)})$ against an oblivious adversary. 4. Finally, for $k$-center we present a fully dynamic $(6+\epsilon)$-approximation algorithm with an expected update time of $\tilde{O}(k)$ against an oblivious adversary.