Online Knapsack with Frequency Predictions

Sungjin Im, Ravi Kumar, Mahshid Montazer Qaem, Manish Purohit

Keywords: online knapsack, learning-augmented algorithms, semi-online algorithms

TL;DR: Designing optimal algorithms for online knapsack problems with range predictions on the frequency of items.

Abstract: There has been recent interest in using machine-learned predictions to improve the worst-case guarantees of online algorithms. In this paper we continue this line of work by studying the online knapsack problem, but with very weak predictions: in the form of knowing an upper and lower bound for the number of items of each value. We systematically derive online algorithms that attain the best possible competitive ratio for any fixed prediction; we also extend the results to more general settings such as generalized one-way trading and two-stage online knapsack. Our work shows that even seemingly weak predictions can be utilized effectively to provably improve the performance of online algorithms.

Code Of Conduct: I certify that all co-authors of this work have read and commit to adhering to the NeurIPS Statement on Ethics, Fairness, Inclusivity, and Code of Conduct.