Optimal Online Algorithms for Multidimensional Packing Problems

  • Authors:
  • Leah Epstein;Rob van Stee

  • Affiliations:
  • -;-

  • Venue:
  • SIAM Journal on Computing
  • Year:
  • 2005

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Abstract

We solve an open problem in the literature by providing an online algorithm for multidimensional bin packing that uses only bounded space. To achieve this, we introduce a new technique for classifying the items to be packed. We show that our algorithm is optimal among bounded space algorithms for any dimension $d1$. Its asymptotic performance ratio is $(\Pi_{\infty})^d$, where $\Pi_{\infty}\approx1.691$ is the asymptotic performance ratio of the one-dimensional algorithm \harm. A modified version of this algorithm for the case where all items are hypercubes is also shown to be optimal. Its asymptotic performance ratio is sublinear in $d$.Furthermore, we extend the techniques used in these algorithms to give optimal algorithms for online bounded space variable-sized packing and resource augmented packing.