Finite-Memory Strategies for Almost-Sure Energy-Mean Payoff Objectives in Markov Decision Processes

Concepts de base

Finite-memory strategies suffice for almost-surely winning the Energy-Mean Payoff objective in Markov Decision Processes, even though infinite memory is required for the closely related Energy-Parity objective.

Résumé

The paper considers Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) with d-dimensional rewards, where the objective is to satisfy the Energy condition in the first dimension (the accumulated reward never drops below 0) and the Mean Payoff condition in the remaining d-1 dimensions (the mean payoff is strictly positive almost surely).

The key insights are:

1. Finite-memory strategies suffice for almost-surely winning the Energy-Mean Payoff objective, in contrast to the Energy-Parity objective which requires infinite memory.
2. Deterministic strategies with an exponential number of memory modes are sufficient for almost-surely winning the Energy-Mean Payoff objective.
3. An exponential number of memory modes is also necessary, even for randomized strategies.

The authors construct a winning strategy that alternates between two modes: a "Gain" phase that focuses on achieving positive mean payoff, and a "Bailout" phase that focuses on replenishing the energy level. By bounding the energy level that needs to be remembered, the strategy can be implemented with finite memory, while still ensuring the almost-sure satisfaction of the Energy-Mean Payoff objective.

The paper also shows that the existence of an almost-surely winning strategy for Energy-Mean Payoff is decidable in pseudo-polynomial time.

Stats

There are no key metrics or important figures used to support the author's key logics.

Citations

"We show that finite memory suffices for almost surely winning strategies for the Energy-MeanPayoff objective. This is in contrast to the closely related Energy-Parity objective, where almost surely winning strategies require infinite memory in general."
"We show that exponential memory is sufficient (even for deterministic strategies) and necessary (even for randomized strategies) for almost surely winning Energy-MeanPayoff."

Idées clés tirées de

Finite-memory Strategies for Almost-sure Energy-MeanPayoff Objectives in MDPs

by Mohan Dantam... à arxiv.org 04-24-2024

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2404.14522.pdf

Questions plus approfondies

How do the techniques and insights from this work on Energy-Mean Payoff objectives extend to other combinations of objectives, such as Energy-Parity or Energy-Discounted Sum

The techniques and insights from the work on Energy-Mean Payoff objectives can be extended to other combinations of objectives, such as Energy-Parity or Energy-Discounted Sum. The key lies in the concept of combining different strategies for specific phases or conditions. For instance, in the case of Energy-Parity, where the objective is to maintain a certain energy level while satisfying a parity condition, a similar approach of alternating between strategies optimized for energy preservation and parity satisfaction can be employed. By adapting the strategy switching mechanism and memory management techniques used in the Energy-Mean Payoff context, it is possible to devise finite-memory strategies for Energy-Parity or Energy-Discounted Sum objectives. The core idea is to leverage the interplay between different strategies tailored to each dimension of the objective, ensuring that the system optimally balances energy constraints with other performance criteria.

Can the finite-memory strategies presented here be further optimized in terms of memory usage or computational complexity

While the finite-memory strategies presented in the study offer a significant advancement in addressing Energy-Mean Payoff objectives, there is potential for further optimization in terms of memory usage and computational complexity. One avenue for optimization could involve refining the strategy switching mechanism to minimize memory requirements without compromising performance. This could entail developing more efficient algorithms for determining the optimal switching points between different strategies based on the system's state and objectives. Additionally, exploring advanced data structures and algorithms to store and update the necessary information could help reduce memory overhead. Furthermore, optimizing the computational complexity of the strategies by streamlining decision-making processes and reducing redundant calculations could enhance the efficiency of the finite-memory approach.

What are the practical implications of this work on the design and analysis of control systems that need to satisfy both energy and performance constraints

The findings of this work have significant practical implications for the design and analysis of control systems that need to satisfy both energy and performance constraints. By demonstrating the feasibility of achieving almost surely winning strategies for Energy-Mean Payoff objectives with finite memory, the study offers a valuable framework for developing efficient and reliable control systems in real-world applications. The ability to ensure energy sustainability while meeting performance targets opens up new possibilities for designing autonomous systems, robotics, and IoT devices that operate under resource constraints. Implementing the insights from this research can lead to more robust and optimized control strategies that strike a balance between energy efficiency and performance optimization, ultimately enhancing the overall reliability and effectiveness of complex systems.