# Semidefinite Programming Approach for the Quadratic Assignment Problem with a Sparse Graph

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1703.09339 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1703.09339/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 27 Mar 2017.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Bayesian Optimization over Permutation Spaces](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.01049/) (2021)
- [Fast, Scalable, Warm-Start Semidefinite Programming with Spectral Bundling and Sketching](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.11801/) (2023)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The matching problem between two adjacency matrices can be formulated as the NP-hard quadratic assignment problem (QAP). Previous work on semidefinite programming (SDP) relaxations to the QAP have produced solutions that are often tight in practice, but such SDPs typically scale badly, involving matrix variables of dimension n2 where n is the number of nodes. To achieve a speed up, we propose a further relaxation of the SDP involving a number of positive semidefinite matrices of dimension O(n) no greater than the number of edges in one of the graphs. The relaxation can be further strengthened by considering cliques in the graph, instead of edges. The dual problem of this novel relaxation has a natural three-block structure that can be solved via a convergent Augmented Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) in a distributed manner, where the most expensive step per iteration is computing the eigendecomposition of matrices of dimension O(n). The new SDP relaxation produces strong bounds on quadratic assignment problems where one of the graphs is sparse with reduced computational complexity and running times, and can be used in the context of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) to tackle the assignment problem.