Improved Algorithm for Resource Allocation Problems

摘要

We consider the problem of allocating a set of resources for performing a given collection of jobs. Each of the jobs has specific resource requirement for its execution. Each resource has specific start time, finish time and associated cost per unit usage. The objective is to execute the jobs while incurring minimum cost. The problem is NP-hard. We improve known four-approximation to a three-approximation algorithm. Our algorithm implies better approximation for two other related problems.