LGMLMay 22, 2020

Neural Bipartite Matching

arXiv:2005.11304v425 citations
Originality Incremental advance
AI Analysis

This addresses the problem of extending neural execution beyond simple algorithms for researchers in algorithm learning, though it is incremental as it adapts existing methods to a more complex case.

The paper tackles the challenge of applying neural execution to complex algorithms like maximum bipartite matching, which is reduced to a flow problem and solved using Ford-Fulkerson, achieving optimal matching almost 100% of the time.

Graph neural networks (GNNs) have found application for learning in the space of algorithms. However, the algorithms chosen by existing research (sorting, Breadth-First search, shortest path finding, etc.) usually align perfectly with a standard GNN architecture. This report describes how neural execution is applied to a complex algorithm, such as finding maximum bipartite matching by reducing it to a flow problem and using Ford-Fulkerson to find the maximum flow. This is achieved via neural execution based only on features generated from a single GNN. The evaluation shows strongly generalising results with the network achieving optimal matching almost 100% of the time.

Code Implementations1 repo
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