An adaptive, multiple restarts neural network algorithm for graph coloring

The graph coloring problem is amongst the most difficult ones in combinatorial optimization, with a diverse set of significant applications in science and industry. Previous neural network attempts at coloring graphs have not worked well. In particular, they do not scale up to large graphs. Furthermore, experimental evaluations on real-world graphs have been lacking, and so have comparisons with state of the art conventional algorithms. In this paper we address all of these issues. We develop an improved neural network algorithm for graph coloring that scales well with graph size. The algorithm employs multiple restarts, and adaptively reduces the network’s size from restart to restart as it learns better ways to color a given graph. Hence it gets faster and leaner as it evolves. We evaluate this algorithm on a structurally diverse set of graphs that arise in different applications. We compare its performance with that of a state of the art conventional algorithm on identical graphs. The conventional algorithm works better overall, though ours is not far behind. Ours works better on some graphs. The inherent parallel and distributed nature of our algorithm, especially within a neural network architecture, is a potential advantage for implementation and speed up.