On fully dynamic constant-factor approximation algorithms for clustering problems

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 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 Õ(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. Also, for the k-sum-of-radii and the k-sum-of-diameters problems it is open whether there is any dynamic algorithm, against either type of adversary.In this paper, we complete the picture of the question above for all these clustering problems.• 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. So in particular, there are no such deterministic algorithms. • We give a lower bound of Ω(k) on the update time for each of the above problems, even against an oblivious adversary. This rules out update times with subpolynomial dependence on k. • We give the first O(1)-approximate fully dynamic algorithms for k-sum-of-radii and for k-sum-ofdiameters with expected update time of Õ(k O(1) ) against an oblivious adversary. • Finally, for k-center we present a fully dynamic (6 + ǫ)-approximation algorithm with an expected update time of Õ(k) against an oblivious adversary. This is the first dynamic O(1)-approximation algorithm for any of the clustering problems above whose update time is Õ(k) and in particular the first whose update time is asymptotically optimal in k.