Graph neural networks improve combinatorial optimization by leveraging inductive bias.
problem Combinatorial optimization problems often arise from related data distributions.
method Using graph neural networks to enhance or solve combinatorial tasks.
result Graph neural networks effectively encode combinatorial and relational input.
This work proposes an unsupervised neural network framework for solving combinatorial optimization problems on graphs.
problem Challenges in neural networks solving combinatorial optimization problems without labeled instances.
method Inspired by Erdos' probabilistic method, a neural network parametrizes a probability distribution over sets, optimizing it to find low-cost integral solutions.
result The method provides valid solutions to the maximum clique problem and local graph clustering, achieving competitive results.
LGS-Net improves NCO performance on combinatorial optimization tasks.
problem NP-hard combinatorial optimization problems in logistics, manufacturing, and drug discovery.
method LGS-Net uses a latent space model that conditions on problem instances and introduces Latent Guided Sampling for efficient inference.
result Empirical results show state-of-the-art performance on benchmark routing tasks.
This paper presents a framework to tackle combinatorial optimization problems using neural networks and reinforcement learning. We focus on the traveling salesman problem (TSP) and train a recurrent network that, given a set of city coordinates, predicts a distribution over different city permutations. Using negative t…
New framework analyzes effectiveness of neural network-based combinatorial problem solvers.
problem Analyzing neural network-based methods for combinatorial optimization problems.
method Introducing a theoretical framework to assess the effectiveness of solution-samplers using policy-gradient methods.
result Positive theoretical answer to the existence of expressive, tractable, and benign optimization landscapes for combinatorial problems.
New algorithms for neural bandits learn from context and arm features.
problem Learning from context and arm features in combinatorial bandit problems.
method Proposed algorithms CN-UCB and CN-TS using deep neural networks.
result Achieved regret guarantees for the first time in combinatorial neural bandits.
This paper explores how boolean formulas can be learned by deep neural networks.
problem Understanding the learnability of boolean formulas by deep neural networks.
method Analysis of boolean formulas associated with model-sampling benchmarks, combinatorial optimization problems, and random 3-CNFs.
result Neural networks outperform rule-based systems and pure symbolic approaches in learning boolean formulas.
New method uses diffusion models for unsupervised combinatorial optimization.
problem Learning to sample from intractable discrete distributions without training data.
method Lifts the restriction of generative models needing exact sample likelihoods using a loss that bounds reverse KL divergence.
result Achieves new state-of-the-art results in data-free Combinatorial Optimization.
A method learns to solve multilevel combinatorial problems with two players.
problem Multilevel combinatorial optimization problems with multiple players.
method Value-based multi-agent reinforcement learning in a graph neural network framework.
result Close to optimal solutions on graphs up to 100 nodes, with a significant speedup.
Paper uses RL to solve constrained combinatorial optimization problems.
problem Constrained combinatorial optimization problems.
method Extending NCO theory to CMDPs, using RL with penalty signals.
result Proposes a superior method for solving constrained problems.
Graph neural networks improve solving linear optimization problems.
problem Improving the efficiency of solving linear optimization problems.
method Using graph neural networks to simulate standard interior-point methods for linear optimization problems.
result Graph neural networks can solve linear optimization problems close to optimality, often outperforming conventional solvers.
Neural networks struggle with TSP beyond small instances, requiring new approaches.
problem Neural networks struggle to generalize to larger instances of the TSP.
method Unified pipeline to identify inductive biases and promote generalization.
result Zero-shot generalization requires rethinking neural combinatorial optimization.
This paper focuses on Bayesian Optimization (BO) for objectives on combinatorial search spaces, including ordinal and categorical variables. Despite the abundance of potential applications of Combinatorial BO, including chipset configuration search and neural architecture search, only a handful of methods have been pro…
BPNNs learn to solve combinatorial problems faster and more accurately.
problem Generalizing belief propagation for efficient problem solving.
method BPNNs are parameterized operators that operate on factor graphs, generalizing BP. BPNN-D is a learned iterative operator that provably maintains BP's properties.
result BPNN-D converges 1.7x faster on Ising models and provides tighter bounds.
RLD improves combinatorial optimization by avoiding local minima.
problem Efficiently solving combinatorial optimization problems.
method Regularized Langevin Dynamics (RLD) for combinatorial optimization.
result RLD achieves comparable or better performance than previous methods.
Linear-time graph optimization using reinforcement learning.
problem Solving combinatorial optimization problems on real-world graphs.
method Graph neural network trained with reinforcement learning.
result Approximate solutions in linear time for various graph problems.
SRL embeds combinatorial optimization into RL for better decision-making.
problem Challenges of standard RL in complex, structured decision-making problems.
method Structured Reinforcement Learning (SRL) with combinatorial optimization layers in actor neural network.
result SRL outperforms unstructured RL and imitation learning by up to 92% on dynamic problems.
Search-based methods for hard combinatorial optimization are often guided by heuristics. Tuning heuristics in various conditions and situations is often time-consuming. In this paper, we propose NeuRewriter that learns a policy to pick heuristics and rewrite the local components of the current solution to iteratively i…
Neural model with parameterized algorithms improves graph CO problem solving.
problem Solving NP-hard graph combinatorial optimization problems efficiently and accurately.
method Combining neural models and parameterized algorithms to identify and handle hard and easy parts of CO instances.
result Framework produces superior solution quality and out-of-distribution generalization.
New methods improve memory efficiency for sampling from complex distributions.
problem Sampling from complex unnormalized distributions over discrete domains.
method Two novel training methods for discrete diffusion samplers.
result Achieve state-of-the-art results in unsupervised combinatorial optimization.
AdamCB optimizes neural network training by adaptively selecting samples.
problem Inefficient convergence due to unequal influence of different data samples.
method Integrates combinatorial bandit techniques into Adam to adaptively select samples.
result AdamCB achieves faster convergence and better performance than existing methods.
MIP-GNN uses graph neural networks to predict variable biases for MIP solvers.
problem Improving combinatorial optimization through data-driven insights.
method Encoding MILP interactions as graphs, training a graph neural network to predict variable biases, and guiding the MIP solver with these predictions.
result Significant improvements in solving binary MILPs compared to default settings of state-of-the-art solvers.
Neural network optimizes learning sequence for reading words.
problem Children struggle with learning to read words due to inconsistent spelling-sound correspondences.
method Used a neural network to structure learning trials to optimize generalization accuracy.
result Significant improvement in generalization accuracy compared to random or frequency-based sequences.
Combinatorial optimization problems are typically tackled by the branch-and-bound paradigm. We propose a new graph convolutional neural network model for learning branch-and-bound variable selection policies, which leverages the natural variable-constraint bipartite graph representation of mixed-integer linear programs…
EDLP samples flat modes in discrete spaces using entropy.
problem Sampling flat modes in discrete spaces is challenging.
method EDLP uses a continuous auxiliary variable and local entropy to guide sampling.
result EDLP consistently outperforms traditional methods in various tasks.
Polynomial-time method solves complex combinatorial semi-bandits.
problem Optimal strategies for combinatorial semi-bandits with uncorrelated Gaussian rewards.
method Proposes a polynomial-time method to solve the Graves-Lai optimization problem for various combinatorial structures.
result First known approach to implement asymptotically optimal algorithms in polynomial time for combinatorial semi-bandits.
This work tackles Bayesian neural networks by addressing loss landscape symmetries.
problem Understanding and optimizing the loss landscape of Bayesian neural networks.
method The approach involves extending marginalized loss barrier formalism to BNNs, proposing a matching algorithm to search for linearly connected solutions using permutation matrices and combinatorial optimization.
result Nearly zero marginalized loss barriers for linearly connected solutions were found.
Adapting neural networks to guide program optimization for better classifiers.
problem Learning differentiable programs with complex architectures.
method Formulating program optimization as a graph search problem, using neural networks as heuristic relaxations.
result Trained neural networks can guide combinatorial search for programmatic classifiers, improving accuracy and interpretability.
Hardware-accelerated RBM solves large combinatorial problems and integer factorization.
problem Solving large combinatorial optimization and integer factorization problems.
method Logically synthesized RBM architecture, hardware acceleration, and efficient training methods.
result Hardware-accelerated RBM factorizes 16-bit numbers with 10000x speed and 32x power improvements.
A new method uses heat diffusion to efficiently solve combinatorial optimization problems.
problem Challenges in combinatorial optimization due to discrete nature and limited search scope.
method Transforming the target function through heat diffusion to enable information flow and more efficient navigation.
result Superior performance across various combinatorial optimization problems.
Sym-NCO leverages symmetricities to improve DRL-NCO performance.
problem Improving neural combinatorial optimization methods.
method Sym-NCO is a regularizer-based training scheme that exploits universal symmetricities in CO problems and solutions.
result Sym-NCO significantly improves DRL-NCO performance across various CO tasks.
A fast ML method solves complex combinatorial auction problems.
problem Solving winner determination in multi-unit combinatorial auctions.
method Graph Neural Network (GNN) with half-convolution operations for bid-item graph modeling.
result Approaches optimal performance with negligible revenue loss and low complexity.
Improves neural network search in combinatorial spaces of mathematical symbols.
problem Early commitment and initialization bias limit exploration in neural network search.
method Entropy regularization and distribution initialization methods.
result Improves performance, increases sample efficiency, lowers solution complexity.
MOCA-HESP optimizes high-dimensional combinatorial and mixed spaces using hyper-ellipsoid partitioning.
problem Challenges in optimizing high-dimensional, combinatorial and mixed spaces.
method MOCA-HESP uses hyper-ellipsoid space partitioning with different categorical encoders and multi-armed bandit for adaptive selection.
result MOCA-HESP outperforms existing methods on various synthetic and real-world benchmarks.
New method trains quantized neural networks to global optimality.
problem Training optimal quantized neural networks is intractable due to combinatorial non-convex optimization.
method Convex optimization strategy using hidden convexity, semidefinite lifting, and Grothendieck's identity.
result Quantized NN problems can be solved to global optimality in polynomial-time.
CwA optimizes search performance by jointly learning a balanced database partition and a neural probing function.
problem Suboptimal search performance due to mismatched database and query distributions.
method CwA jointly learns a balanced database partition and a neural probing function to optimize search performance directly for the query distribution.
result CwA achieves up to 4.7x throughput over state-of-the-art methods at equal recall.
DeepCO uses deep learning for offline combinatorial optimization in warehouse operations.
problem Optimizing warehouse operation sequences in offline settings.
method DeepCO framework utilizing distribution regularized optimization for TSP.
result DeepCO reduces route length by 5.7% on average for TSP problems.
Algorithm selects optimal segment for physiological signal analysis.
problem Physiological signals are often corrupted by noise, requiring selective analysis.
method Combines deep neural networks for signal analysis and combinatorial optimization for segment selection.
result Significant improvement in system performance, e.g. 2.4% increase in sensitivity for heart sound segmentation.
ML4CO uses machine learning to improve combinatorial optimization solvers.
problem Solving combinatorial problems in practice often involves related data distributions.
method Replacing heuristic components with machine learning approaches.
result Improved state-of-the-art combinatorial optimization solvers.
Bayesian optimization method tackles combinatorial spaces, scalable for large data.
problem Optimization over combinatorial categorical spaces in natural sciences.
method Combines variational optimization and continuous relaxations for gradient-based optimization.
result Method performs comparably to state-of-the-art methods while scaling well.
Bayesian optimization adapted for discrete spaces using random mappings.
problem Global optimization of expensive black-box functions with discrete variables.
method Embeds discrete space into a convex polytope, performs optimization in continuous space.
result Method outperforms existing methods in large combinatorial spaces.
CRA improves UL-based CO solvers by dynamically smoothing and enforcing discreteness.
problem Local optima and artificial rounding issues in UL-based CO solvers.
method Continuous Relaxation Annealing (CRA) strategy that dynamically shifts from continuous to discrete solutions.
result Significantly enhances UL-based CO solver performance and eliminates artificial rounding.
This paper tackles combinatorial optimization under uncertainty with limited feedback.
problem Tackling combinatorial optimization problems with uncertain or unknown parameters.
method Review of techniques for combinatorial pure exploration with limited bandit feedback.
result Introduction of methods for combinatorial optimization under uncertainty with limited observation.
The optimization of expensive-to-evaluate black-box functions over combinatorial structures is an ubiquitous task in machine learning, engineering and the natural sciences. The combinatorial explosion of the search space and costly evaluations pose challenges for current techniques in discrete optimization and machine …
Surveying machine learning for solving graph optimization problems.
problem Solving combinatorial optimization problems on graphs requires algorithmic engineering.
method Surveying machine learning approaches for graph optimization.
result Machine learning offers new ways to solve graph optimization problems.
Optimizes neural networks with blackbox solvers using Time-cost Regularization.
problem Improving neural network performance by integrating efficient solvers for complex problems.
method Optimizes both the primary loss function and the performance of the blackbox solver using Time-cost Regularization. Introduces a hyper-blackbox concept to learn blackbox parameters.
result Significant improvement in neural network performance through optimization of blackbox solvers.
This paper surveys RL for combinatorial optimization, focusing on TSP.
problem Optimizing solutions for combinatorial optimization problems.
method Reinforcement learning applied to combinatorial optimization problems, specifically the TSP.
result Deep learning mechanisms enhance RL algorithms for near-optimal solutions.
RL improves combinatorial optimization by automating heuristic search.
problem Hard combinatorial optimization problems with suboptimal solutions.
method Training RL agents to solve these problems.
result RL can outperform traditional algorithms in solving complex problems.