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Complexity Theory

136 missions · 53 completed

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Integer Multiplication in Time O(n log n): Harvey–van der Hoeven Theorem 1.1Research Paper

Motivation

Multiplying two nnn-bit integers is the basic operation underneath division, square roots, base conversion, evaluation of elementary functions to high precision, and polynomial and matrix arithmetic over Z\mathbb ZZ; the cost of all of these is usually quoted in units of the multiplication cost M(n)\mathsf M(n)M(n). In 1971 Schönhage and Strassen proved M(n)=O(nlog⁡nlog⁡log⁡n)\mathsf M(n)=O(n\log n\log\log n)M(n)=O(nlognloglogn) on a multitape Turing machine and conjectured that nlog⁡nn\log nnlogn is the true order of growth. The upper half of that conjecture was settled by Harvey and van der Hoeven in 2019 (published 2021), who gave an algorithm achieving M(n)=O(nlog⁡n)\mathsf M(n)=O(n\log n)M(n)=O(nlogn) in the same machine model.

Timeline (multitape Turing model).

  • 1962–1971: Karatsuba (O(nlog⁡23)O(n^{\log_2 3})O(nlog2​3)), Toom and Cook, Schönhage; then Schönhage–Strassen, O(nlog⁡nlog⁡log⁡n)O(n\log n\log\log n)O(nlognloglogn), with the conjecture M(n)=Θ(nlog⁡n)\mathsf M(n)=\Theta(n\log n)M(n)=Θ(nlogn).
  • 2007: Fürer, O(nlog⁡n Klog⁡∗n)O(n\log n\,K^{\log^* n})O(nlognKlog∗n) for an unspecified constant K>1K>1K>1.
  • 2014–2018: Harvey, van der Hoeven and Lecerf make the constant explicit, reaching O(nlog⁡n 4log⁡∗n)O(n\log n\,4^{\log^* n})O(nlogn4log∗n).
  • 2019/2021: Harvey and van der Hoeven, O(nlog⁡n)O(n\log n)O(nlogn), unconditionally (Theorem 1.1 of the paper below).
  • 2026: an OpenAI preprint claims O(n(lg⁡n)1−κ)O(n(\lg n)^{1-\kappa})O(n(lgn)1−κ) with κ=2−182\kappa=2^{-182}κ=2−182, which uses the O(nlog⁡n)O(n\log n)O(nlogn) multiplier as a subroutine; that line of work is tracked in a separate mission.

Setting

A kkk-tape Turing machine, in the conventions of Montanaro's Computational Complexity lecture notes (§3, §3.4), has the following parts:

  • a finite alphabet containing a blank □\square□ and a start symbol ▹\triangleright▹;
  • a finite set of states with a start state START\mathrm{START}START and a distinct halting state HALT\mathrm{HALT}HALT;
  • k≥2k\ge2k≥2 tapes: a read-only input tape, an output tape, and k−2k-2k−2 work tapes. Each tape is infinite in one direction, has its own head, and holds ▹\triangleright▹ in its first cell and nowhere else.

In one step the machine reads the symbol under every head, writes a symbol under every head, moves each head by at most one cell (never left of ▹\triangleright▹), and changes state. Once in HALT\mathrm{HALT}HALT it stays there unchanged.

For a bit string x∈{0,1}nx\in\{0,1\}^nx∈{0,1}n, written most significant bit first, let val⁡(x)\operatorname{val}(x)val(x) be the integer it represents, and for 0≤z<2k0\le z<2^k0≤z<2k let bin⁡k(z)\operatorname{bin}_k(z)bink​(z) be the length-kkk binary representation of zzz, padded with leading zeros. The machine is started in START\mathrm{START}START with ▹ x#y\triangleright\,x\#y▹x#y on the input tape. It computes the product if, for every n≥1n\ge1n≥1 and all x,y∈{0,1}nx,y\in\{0,1\}^nx,y∈{0,1}n, it reaches HALT\mathrm{HALT}HALT with the output tape holding exactly ▹ bin⁡2n(val⁡(x)val⁡(y))\triangleright\,\operatorname{bin}_{2n}(\operatorname{val}(x)\operatorname{val}(y))▹bin2n​(val(x)val(y)) followed by blanks. Its running time T(n)T(n)T(n) is the largest number of steps it takes on any pair of nnn-bit inputs. Write

lg⁡n=max⁡(⌈log⁡2n⌉,1).\lg n=\max(\lceil\log_2 n\rceil,1).lgn=max(⌈log2​n⌉,1).

Formalization targets

Goal: Theorem 1.1 of Harvey–van der Hoeven, as stated

There is one machine MMM that computes the product and has running time

T(n)=O(nlog⁡n),T(n)=O(n\log n),T(n)=O(nlogn),

with log⁡\loglog the natural logarithm. That is, T(n)≤c nlog⁡nT(n)\le c\,n\log nT(n)≤cnlogn for all n≥n0n\ge n_0n≥n0​, for some constants c>0c>0c>0 and n0n_0n0​.

Milestones

The milestones are the self-contained mathematical statements behind the Gaussian resampling step of the paper (§4.1–§4.2) and its prime-selection step (§5.2):

  1. Theorem 4.2 (resampling identity). For coprime 1≤s<t1\le s<t1≤s<t and α>0\alpha>0α>0, the resampling maps S,T:Cs→Ct\mathcal S,\mathcal T:\mathbb C^s\to\mathbb C^tS,T:Cs→Ct and the permutations Ps,Pt\mathcal P_s,\mathcal P_tPs​,Pt​ satisfy TPsFs=PtFtS\mathcal T\mathcal P_s\mathcal F_s=\mathcal P_t\mathcal F_t\mathcal STPs​Fs​=Pt​Ft​S, where Fn\mathcal F_nFn​ is the normalized DFT of length nnn.
  2. Lemma 4.5. ∥S∥<1+α−1\|\mathcal S\|<1+\alpha^{-1}∥S∥<1+α−1 in the operator norm for the supremum norms.
  3. Lemma 4.6. If α2θ≥1\alpha^2\theta\ge1α2θ≥1, where θ=t/s−1\theta=t/s-1θ=t/s−1, then ∥E∥<2.01 e−πα2θ/2<2−α2θ\|\mathcal E\|<2.01\,e^{-\pi\alpha^2\theta/2}<2^{-\alpha^2\theta}∥E∥<2.01e−πα2θ/2<2−α2θ, where E=CTD−I\mathcal E=\mathcal C\mathcal T\mathcal D-\mathcal IE=CTD−I is the normalized square system of §4.2.
  4. Lemma 5.1. For η∈(0,14)\eta\in(0,\tfrac14)η∈(0,41​) and x≥e2/ηx\ge e^{2/\eta}x≥e2/η, there are at least 12ηx/log⁡x\tfrac12\eta x/\log x21​ηx/logx primes in ((1−2η)x,(1−η)x]\big((1-2\eta)x,(1-\eta)x\big]((1−2η)x,(1−η)x].
  5. Theorem 1.1 in the κ\kappaκ-framework, KappaBound(0)\mathrm{KappaBound}(0)KappaBound(0). The same machine statement with running time O(nlg⁡n)O(n\lg n)O(nlgn), where lg⁡n=max⁡(⌈log⁡2n⌉,1)\lg n=\max(\lceil\log_2 n\rceil,1)lgn=max(⌈log2​n⌉,1). This is the κ=0\kappa=0κ=0 member of the family O(n(lg⁡n)1−κ)O(n(\lg n)^{1-\kappa})O(n(lgn)1−κ) studied in the companion mission. It is equivalent to the goal, because log⁡n\log nlogn and lg⁡n\lg nlgn differ by at most a constant factor for n≥2n\ge2n≥2.

Significance

The result. Theorem 1.1 makes nlog⁡nn\log nnlogn an unconditional upper bound for integer multiplication on multitape Turing machines, matching the Schönhage–Strassen conjecture. Through standard Newton-iteration reductions it gives the same bound for division and kkk-th roots, and O(nlog⁡2n)O(n\log^2 n)O(nlog2n) for computing elementary constants and functions to precision nnn. No superlinear lower bound for M(n)\mathsf M(n)M(n) is known, so the matching lower bound remains open.

Formalizing it. The theorem has a published proof but no machine-checked proof. A formal proof would also check the full chain of reductions (splitting into digits, Chinese-remainder multidimensional convolution, Gaussian resampling, Nussbaumer polynomial transforms, fixed-point error control, and Turing-machine data movement), each with explicit error and cost accounting. The resampling identity and the norm bounds are statements of independent interest in discrete harmonic analysis, and are useful to formalize on their own.

Difficulty

The obvious approach is a Fourier transform over C\mathbb CC with Θ(log⁡n)\Theta(\log n)Θ(logn) bits of precision. This leads to recursive estimates of the form M(n)=O(n M(log⁡n))+O(nlog⁡n)\mathsf M(n)=O(n\,\mathsf M(\log n))+O(n\log n)M(n)=O(nM(logn))+O(nlogn), and every such scheme loses a factor that tends to infinity at each level of recursion. Reaching O(nlog⁡n)O(n\log n)O(nlogn) requires every level of recursion to cost a constant factor less than the previous one. That in turn requires transforms of prime length to be replaced by power-of-two transforms at essentially no extra cost, while keeping O(1)O(1)O(1) bits of precision loss per level. In the Turing model, every reshuffling of data also costs time proportional to the data volume times a logarithm, so the reductions must avoid general sorting wherever its cost would dominate.

Formalization scope

  • Machine model. Every target uses one shared definition file, IntMul_MultitapeModel, which follows the kkk-tape conventions of Montanaro's lecture notes. Tapes are indexed by N\mathbb NN and begin with ▹\triangleright▹. There is a designated HALT\mathrm{HALT}HALT state that freezes the configuration. Tape 000 is a read-only input tape and tape 111 is the output tape. The input is ▹ x#y\triangleright\,x\#y▹x#y, and the output tape must hold exactly ▹\triangleright▹ followed by the product bits and then blanks. Running time is the number of steps until HALT\mathrm{HALT}HALT.
  • The bound. As in the notes' definition of O(⋅)O(\cdot)O(⋅): there are c>0c>0c>0 and n0n_0n0​ with T(n)≤c g(n)T(n)\le c\,g(n)T(n)≤cg(n) for n≥n0n\ge n_0n≥n0​, and correctness is required for every n≥1n\ge1n≥1. Following the papers, nnn is the length of each operand and only well-formed inputs x#yx\#yx#y are constrained.
  • Logarithms. The goal uses the paper's natural logarithm, so any valid threshold has n0≥2n_0\ge2n0​≥2, because log⁡1=0\log1=0log1=0. Milestone 5 restates the goal with lg⁡n=max⁡(⌈log⁡2n⌉,1)\lg n=\max(\lceil\log_2n\rceil,1)lgn=max(⌈log2​n⌉,1), the convention shared with the companion mission.
  • No trivial solutions. A machine that never halts, or that halts with the wrong output, on any well-formed input does not satisfy the definition, and the constant ccc must be positive.
  • Resampling maps. Vectors in Cn\mathbb C^nCn are functions on Z/nZ\mathbb Z/n\mathbb ZZ/nZ, which encodes the paper's convention that an index is read mod nnn. Norms are supremum norms, as in §2.2 of the paper. The paper's sums over j∈Zj\in\mathbb Zj∈Z are written as matrices whose entries are lattice sums over each residue class. The definitions are in IntMul_HvdH_Resampling.
  • Infrastructure needed: multidimensional DFT and convolution identities, Gaussian and theta-function estimates, Chebyshev-function bounds, a library of Turing-machine subroutines (sorting, matrix transposition, fixed-point arithmetic) with cost bounds, and a composition calculus for machines. The machine library and the cost calculus can be reused across every complexity mission on the platform.

Selected references

  • D. Harvey, J. van der Hoeven, Integer multiplication in time O(nlog⁡n)O(n\log n)O(nlogn), Annals of Mathematics 193(2), 563–617, 2021. https://doi.org/10.4007/annals.2021.193.2.4 (preprint: https://hal.science/hal-02070778)
  • A. Schönhage, V. Strassen, Schnelle Multiplikation großer Zahlen, Computing 7, 281–292, 1971. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02242355
  • M. Fürer, Faster integer multiplication, SIAM Journal on Computing 39(3), 979–1005, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1137/070711761
  • D. Harvey, J. van der Hoeven, G. Lecerf, Even faster integer multiplication, Journal of Complexity 36, 1–30, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jco.2016.03.001
  • J. B. Rosser, L. Schoenfeld, Approximate formulas for some functions of prime numbers, Illinois Journal of Mathematics 6, 64–94, 1962. https://doi.org/10.1215/ijm/1255631807
  • Wikipedia, Multiplication algorithm. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiplication_algorithm
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Scheduling Subject to Resource Constraints: Classification and Complexity II: Unit-Time Jobs on Two Uniform Machines with Unit Resources Are Strongly NP-hardResearch Paper

Motivation

Machine scheduling asks how to assign jobs to machines over time. In many applications a job also needs additional scarce resources while it runs: a tool, a skilled operator, a memory bank, a channel. Adding such resources can turn a problem with a polynomial algorithm into an NP-hard one. Błażewicz, Lenstra and Rinnooy Kan (DAM 1983) extended the standard three-field classification α ∣ β ∣ γ\alpha\,|\,\beta\,|\,\gammaα∣β∣γ of scheduling problems (Graham, Lawler, Lenstra and Rinnooy Kan 1979) with a resource field resλσρres\lambda\sigma\rhoresλσρ. They then drew the complete borderline between easy and hard problems for unit-time jobs, identical or uniform machines and the makespan criterion. Their Fig. 2 marks each problem type as polynomially solvable or NP-hard.

This mission formalizes the two hardness results of that classification that come from graph partition problems (Theorems 2 and 3, p. 15). Two identical machines are easy under any resource constraints (Theorem 1, after Garey and Johnson 1975). Theorems 2 and 3 show that a third identical machine, or two machines of different speeds, already makes the problem strongly NP-hard, once the number of unit resources is part of the input.

Setting

There are nnn jobs J1,…,JnJ_1,\dots,J_nJ1​,…,Jn​ and mmm machines M1,…,MmM_1,\dots,M_mM1​,…,Mm​. Each machine processes at most one job at a time, and each job runs on one machine without interruption. Machine MiM_iMi​ has a speed qi>0q_i>0qi​>0, and every job has unit execution requirement pj=1p_j=1pj​=1, so it takes time 1/qi1/q_i1/qi​ on MiM_iMi​. Identical machines (PPP) are the case qi=1q_i=1qi​=1; uniform machines (QQQ) allow arbitrary speeds.

There are lll resources R1,…,RlR_1,\dots,R_lR1​,…,Rl​. Resource RhR_hRh​ has a positive integer size shs_hsh​, the amount available at any time. Job JjJ_jJj​ needs a nonnegative integer amount rhjr_{hj}rhj​ of RhR_hRh​ throughout its execution. A schedule assigns each job a machine μ(j)\mu(j)μ(j) and a start time Sj≥0S_j\ge 0Sj​≥0. Its completion time is Cj=Sj+1/qμ(j)C_j=S_j+1/q_{\mu(j)}Cj​=Sj​+1/qμ(j)​, and it is being executed at every time ttt with Sj≤t<CjS_j\le t<C_jSj​≤t<Cj​. A schedule is feasible when:

  • jobs on the same machine do not overlap in time;
  • at every time ttt, the set StS_tSt​ of jobs being executed satisfies
∑j∈Strhj≤sh(h=1,…,l).\sum_{j\in S_t} r_{hj}\le s_h\qquad(h=1,\dots,l).j∈St​∑​rhj​≤sh​(h=1,…,l).

The makespan is Cmax⁡=max⁡jCjC_{\max}=\max_j C_jCmax​=maxj​Cj​.

The resource type res⋅11res{\cdot}11res⋅11 means three things: the number lll of resources is part of the input, every size is sh=1s_h=1sh​=1, and every requirement satisfies rhj≤1r_{hj}\le1rhj​≤1. A unit resource is therefore a conflict: two jobs that both need it can never run at the same time. The problems here have no precedence constraints. Pm ∣ res⋅11, pj=1 ∣ Cmax⁡Pm\,|\,res{\cdot}11,\,p_j=1\,|\,C_{\max}Pm∣res⋅11,pj​=1∣Cmax​ and Qm ∣ res⋅11, pj=1 ∣ Cmax⁡Qm\,|\,res{\cdot}11,\,p_j=1\,|\,C_{\max}Qm∣res⋅11,pj​=1∣Cmax​ ask for a feasible schedule of minimum makespan. Their decision versions ask, for a threshold yyy, whether a feasible schedule with Cmax⁡≤yC_{\max}\le yCmax​≤y exists.

The source problems are two graph problems on a graph G=(V,E)G=(V,E)G=(V,E) with ∣V∣=3t|V|=3t∣V∣=3t:

  • PARTITION INTO TRIANGLES: can VVV be partitioned into ttt triples of pairwise adjacent vertices?
  • PARTITION INTO PATHS OF LENGTH 2: can VVV be partitioned into ttt triples, each with at most one nonadjacent pair, that is, each spanning a path of length 2?

Both are NP-complete (Garey and Johnson 1979, problems GT11 and GT13).

The construction of p. 15 introduces one job per vertex and one unit resource R{j,k}R_{\{j,k\}}R{j,k}​ per nonadjacent pair {j,k}\{j,k\}{j,k}, required by JjJ_jJj​ and JkJ_kJk​ only.

Formalization targets

Goal: Theorem 3

Q2 ∣ res⋅11, pj=1 ∣ Cmax⁡ is NP-hard in the strong sense.Q2\,|\,res{\cdot}11,\,p_j=1\,|\,C_{\max}\ \text{is NP-hard in the strong sense.}Q2∣res⋅11,pj​=1∣Cmax​ is NP-hard in the strong sense.

Formally: if the language of PARTITION INTO PATHS OF LENGTH 2 is NP-hard, then the language of unary codes of yes-instances of the decision version of Q2 ∣ res⋅11, pj=1 ∣ Cmax⁡Q2\,|\,res{\cdot}11,\,p_j=1\,|\,C_{\max}Q2∣res⋅11,pj​=1∣Cmax​ is NP-hard. The two speeds are arbitrary positive integers.

Milestones

  1. The construction's key property (p. 15). In the constructed instance, two distinct jobs can be executed simultaneously if and only if their vertices are adjacent.
  2. The triangle equivalence (proof of Theorem 2). GGG has a partition into triangles if and only if the constructed instance on three identical machines has a feasible schedule with Cmax⁡≤tC_{\max}\le tCmax​≤t.
  3. Theorem 2. P3 ∣ res⋅11, pj=1 ∣ Cmax⁡P3\,|\,res{\cdot}11,\,p_j=1\,|\,C_{\max}P3∣res⋅11,pj​=1∣Cmax​ is NP-hard in the strong sense, given the NP-hardness of PARTITION INTO TRIANGLES.
  4. The paths equivalence (proof of Theorem 3). GGG has a partition into paths of length 2 if and only if the constructed instance on two uniform machines with speeds q1=2q_1=2q1​=2, q2=1q_2=1q2​=1 has a feasible schedule with Cmax⁡≤tC_{\max}\le tCmax​≤t.

Significance

The results. Theorems 2 and 3 are two of the minimal NP-hard problems in the paper's classification. Together with Theorem 1 they place the borderline exactly: with unit resources whose number is part of the input, two identical machines are polynomial, while three identical machines, or two machines of different speeds, are strongly NP-hard. Strong NP-hardness rules out pseudo-polynomial algorithms unless P = NP, and it carries over to every more general resource type and machine environment in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Section 4.1 of the paper also derives hardness for ∑Cj\sum C_j∑Cj​ and Lmax⁡L_{\max}Lmax​ from these instances.

Formalizing it. The results are classical and proved on paper, but the paper's proofs are one sentence each ("Clearly", "It is easily seen"). No machine-checked proof exists, and the platform has no model of resource-constrained scheduling with real-valued time. This mission produces that model. It also produces a precise statement of strong NP-hardness on top of Cook's Turing-machine definitions, and the first formal NP-hardness reductions from graph partition problems to scheduling.

Difficulty

The scheduling half of each equivalence depends on the real-time model. On two uniform machines of speeds 2 and 1, jobs take time 12\tfrac1221​ and 111, so jobs on the fast machine start at half-integers or anywhere else. The resource constraint must hold at every real time, not at a finite set of checkpoints. An argument that treats time as integer slots applies to the triangle case but does not transfer to the paths case.

The complexity half needs polynomial-time computability of the construction on Cook's one-tape Turing machines, on encoded strings that include malformed inputs. It also needs closure of polynomial-time reductions under composition, which the imported complexity layer states but does not prove.

Formalization scope

  • Time and schedules. Start times are nonnegative reals, execution intervals are half-open [Sj,Cj)[S_j,C_j)[Sj​,Cj​), and the resource constraints are imposed at every real time. Schedules are nonpreemptive.
  • Indices. Jobs, machines and resources are 0-based (Fin n, Fin m, Fin l), so q1,q2q_1,q_2q1​,q2​ are q 0, q 1.
  • Decision versions. "NP-hard" refers to the decision version with a threshold yyy. Thresholds are natural numbers and the Q2Q2Q2 speeds are positive integers. This restricted problem is a subproblem of the one with rational data, so its hardness is the stronger statement.
  • Encodings and strong NP-hardness. Instances are strings over a two-letter alphabet with every number in unary. Graphs are ttt in unary followed by the 3t×3t3t\times 3t3t×3t adjacency matrix, so ∣V∣=3t|V|=3t∣V∣=3t is part of the instance. Languages contain only codes of yes-instances. Strong NP-hardness is NP-hardness of the unary code language. With unary numbers, Max(I)≤Length(I)\mathrm{Max}(I)\le\mathrm{Length}(I)Max(I)≤Length(I), so this is equivalent to Garey and Johnson's definition. The complexity layer is the published module CookPvsNP_defs.
  • Cited hypothesis. Each hardness theorem takes as its only hypothesis the NP-hardness of its source problem, which the paper cites from Garey and Johnson rather than proves. The hypothesis is a true statement about a nonempty, non-universal language. The statements are not weakened to a reduction between languages, and they assume nothing about P versus NP.
  • Source problems. The paper's phrase "three vertices, at most two of which are nonadjacent" is read as "at most one nonadjacent pair", which is Garey and Johnson's GT13. Reading it as "at most two nonadjacent pairs" would admit triples with a single edge and change the problem. PARTITION INTO PATHS OF LENGTH 2 reuses the published definition CubicP3Partition.P3Factor, a spanning non-induced P3P_3P3​-factor.
  • Construction. Resources are indexed by the nonadjacent pairs j<kj<kj<k in lexicographic order, one per unordered pair and none for a pair {j,j}\{j,j\}{j,j}. A diagonal resource would make every job infeasible.
  • Not trivial. A model that checks resources only at integer times, or only at start times, would make the paths equivalence false. A hypothesis on the target problem would make the goal circular. The definitions rule out both.

Welcome contributions: proofs of the two equivalences, polynomial-time computability of the construction on Cook's machines, and a general composition lemma for polynomial-time reductions. The composition lemma is reusable for every hardness mission built on CookPvsNP_defs.

Selected references

  • J. Błażewicz, J. K. Lenstra, A. H. G. Rinnooy Kan, Scheduling subject to resource constraints: classification and complexity, Discrete Applied Mathematics 5 (1983) 11–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/0166-218X(83)90012-4
  • M. R. Garey, D. S. Johnson, Complexity results for multiprocessor scheduling under resource constraints, SIAM Journal on Computing 4 (1975) 397–411. https://doi.org/10.1137/0204035
  • M. R. Garey, D. S. Johnson, Computers and Intractability: A Guide to the Theory of NP-Completeness, Freeman, San Francisco, 1979, ISBN 0-7167-1045-5.
  • R. L. Graham, E. L. Lawler, J. K. Lenstra, A. H. G. Rinnooy Kan, Optimization and approximation in deterministic sequencing and scheduling: a survey, Annals of Discrete Mathematics 5 (1979) 287–326. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-5060(08)70356-X
  • S. Cook, The P versus NP problem, Clay Mathematics Institute Millennium Problems. https://www.claymath.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/pvsnp.pdf
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Integer Multiplication in O(n (log n)^(1-κ)) TimeResearch Paper

Motivation

Schönhage and Strassen conjectured in 1971 that nlog⁡nn\log nnlogn is the optimal order of growth for multiplying two nnn-bit integers on a multitape Turing machine. Harvey and van der Hoeven proved the matching upper bound O(nlog⁡n)O(n\log n)O(nlogn) (Annals of Mathematics, 2021). In September 2026, a preprint by OpenAI, Integer multiplication below nlog⁡nn\log nnlogn, claimed that this bound can itself be beaten by a power of the logarithm, in the same model. If correct, the upper half of the conjecture's "Θ(nlog⁡n)\Theta(n\log n)Θ(nlogn)" is false. Two independent follow-up projects then increased the exponent saving κ\kappaκ by many orders of magnitude. This mission targets the strongest claimed saving and takes the earlier claims as milestones.

Timeline (multitape Turing model; all bounds are of the form O(n(lg⁡n)1−κ)O(n(\lg n)^{1-\kappa})O(n(lgn)1−κ)).

  • 2021: Harvey and van der Hoeven, κ=0\kappa=0κ=0, that is, O(nlog⁡n)O(n\log n)O(nlogn). Published and refereed.
  • 23 September 2026: OpenAI preprint, κ=2−182\kappa=2^{-182}κ=2−182 (Theorem 1 of the preprint). The preprint has not been refereed.
  • October 2026: D. Colkitt, integer-mult-bounds, a series of patches to the OpenAI manuscript with checked numerical certificates, reaching κ=2−30\kappa=2^{-30}κ=2−30. The project describes this as conditional on the OpenAI manuscript and as having had no independent review.
  • October 2026: S. Jain, integer-mult-kappa, building on both, reaching κ=3666565558019/1017≈3.67×10−5>2−15\kappa=3666565558019/10^{17}\approx3.67\times10^{-5}>2^{-15}κ=3666565558019/1017≈3.67×10−5>2−15 ("round six"). It is also stated to be conditional and unreviewed. Its numerical certificate is checked by computation in the Lean kernel, but the analytic facts behind that certificate are taken as premises.

Setting

A kkk-tape Turing machine, in the conventions of Montanaro's Computational Complexity lecture notes (§3, §3.4), has the following parts:

  • a finite alphabet containing a blank □\square□ and a start symbol ▹\triangleright▹;
  • a finite set of states with a start state START\mathrm{START}START and a distinct halting state HALT\mathrm{HALT}HALT;
  • k≥2k\ge2k≥2 tapes: a read-only input tape, an output tape, and k−2k-2k−2 work tapes. Each tape is infinite in one direction, has its own head, and holds ▹\triangleright▹ in its first cell and nowhere else.

In one step the machine reads the symbol under every head, writes a symbol under every head, moves each head by at most one cell (never left of ▹\triangleright▹), and changes state. Once in HALT\mathrm{HALT}HALT it stays there unchanged.

For x∈{0,1}nx\in\{0,1\}^nx∈{0,1}n (most significant bit first), val⁡(x)\operatorname{val}(x)val(x) is the integer that xxx represents, and bin⁡k(z)\operatorname{bin}_k(z)bink​(z) is the length-kkk binary representation of zzz. A machine computes the product if, for every n≥1n\ge1n≥1 and all x,y∈{0,1}nx,y\in\{0,1\}^nx,y∈{0,1}n, when started on input ▹ x#y\triangleright\,x\#y▹x#y it reaches HALT\mathrm{HALT}HALT with the output tape holding exactly ▹ bin⁡2n(val⁡(x)val⁡(y))\triangleright\,\operatorname{bin}_{2n}(\operatorname{val}(x)\operatorname{val}(y))▹bin2n​(val(x)val(y)) followed by blanks. Its running time T(n)T(n)T(n) is the largest number of steps on any pair of nnn-bit inputs. With lg⁡n=max⁡(⌈log⁡2n⌉,1)\lg n=\max(\lceil\log_2n\rceil,1)lgn=max(⌈log2​n⌉,1), define

KappaBound(κ)  ⟺  ∃ M computing the product with T(n)=O(n(lg⁡n)1−κ).\mathrm{KappaBound}(\kappa)\iff \exists\,M\text{ computing the product with }T(n)=O\big(n(\lg n)^{1-\kappa}\big).KappaBound(κ)⟺∃M computing the product with T(n)=O(n(lgn)1−κ).

Formalization targets

Goal

KappaBound ⁣(36665655580191017).\mathrm{KappaBound}\!\left(\tfrac{3666565558019}{10^{17}}\right).KappaBound(10173666565558019​).

Milestones: the earlier, weaker bounds

  1. KappaBound(0)\mathrm{KappaBound}(0)KappaBound(0): Harvey–van der Hoeven, Theorem 1.1. This is stated as a milestone of the companion mission, in the same machine model, and is referenced here.
  2. KappaBound(2−182)\mathrm{KappaBound}(2^{-182})KappaBound(2−182): OpenAI, Theorem 1.
  3. KappaBound(2−30)\mathrm{KappaBound}(2^{-30})KappaBound(2−30): Colkitt's ternary five-subset checkpoint.

Each milestone is implied by the goal, because (lg⁡n)1−κ(\lg n)^{1-\kappa}(lgn)1−κ decreases in κ\kappaκ. Each one is also a published claim in its own right and a natural intermediate formalization target. The κ=0\kappa=0κ=0 and κ=2−182\kappa=2^{-182}κ=2−182 constructions are the ones that the later claims rely on.

Significance

The result. Any κ>0\kappa>0κ>0 shows that nlog⁡nn\log nnlogn is not the optimal running time for multitape machines, which refutes the upper half of the Schönhage–Strassen conjecture as usually stated. The OpenAI preprint also derives the same bound for exact division and integer square roots (its Corollary 2). Larger values of κ\kappaκ quantify how far below nlog⁡nn\log nnlogn multiplication can go. The bound is a statement about growth rates, and the constants involved are astronomically large.

Formalizing it. None of the three positive-κ\kappaκ results has been refereed, and the two follow-ups explicitly depend on the OpenAI manuscript. Their written arguments, their computer-checked combinatorial certificates (rank sums, moment bounds, rational margins), and the full multiplication theorem have not been formally verified. Machine-checking any of the milestones would be the first independent confirmation of the corresponding claim. A formal disproof, or a formal identification of a gap, would be equally informative.

Difficulty

Fourier-based multiplication scans Θ(n)\Theta(n)Θ(n) stored bits at each of Θ(log⁡n)\Theta(\log n)Θ(logn) transform levels, so any algorithm that performs those levels one at a time pays Θ(nlog⁡n)\Theta(n\log n)Θ(nlogn) for data movement and arithmetic alone. Beating this requires both moving data and carrying out butterfly layers at cost o(Vlog⁡n)o(V\log n)o(Vlogn) on a tape that is accessed sequentially, where VVV is the stored volume. In the preprint this is done with recursive linear networks whose total number of smaller calls is strictly less than (number of roles) × (arity). The follow-ups improve κ\kappaκ by finding better networks and tighter parameter choices, all certified by large exact computations. Each claim therefore combines a long analytic argument, a Turing-machine implementation, and a finite certificate, and all three must be formalized.

Formalization scope

  • Machine model. The definitions are in IntMul_MultitapeModel, shared with the Harvey–van der Hoeven mission, and follow the kkk-tape conventions of Montanaro's lecture notes. Tapes begin with ▹\triangleright▹. There is a HALT\mathrm{HALT}HALT state that freezes the configuration. Tape 000 is a read-only input tape holding ▹ x#y\triangleright\,x\#y▹x#y, and tape 111 is the output tape, which must hold exactly ▹\triangleright▹, then the product bits, then blanks. Running time is the number of steps until HALT\mathrm{HALT}HALT.
  • The bound. As in the notes' definition of O(⋅)O(\cdot)O(⋅): there are c>0c>0c>0 and n0n_0n0​ with T(n)≤c n(lg⁡n)1−κT(n)\le c\,n(\lg n)^{1-\kappa}T(n)≤cn(lgn)1−κ for n≥n0n\ge n_0n≥n0​, and correctness is required for every n≥1n\ge1n≥1. Following the papers, nnn is the length of each operand. The exponent 1−κ1-\kappa1−κ is a real power of a number that is at least 111.
  • No trivial solutions. A machine that fails to halt, or halts with a wrong output, on any well-formed input fails the definition. A proof must exhibit one fixed machine for all nnn.
  • Infrastructure needed: Turing-machine composition with cost accounting; the Harvey–van der Hoeven reduction; the Nussbaumer synthetic transforms; the interchange and butterfly-layer networks of the preprint, with their rank and moment certificates; and the parameter assembly. The machine library and the certificate-checking infrastructure can be reused in other complexity missions.
  • Welcome contributions: formal verification of the published certificates; formalization of the preprint's linear-network propositions; and machine-checked counterexamples to any step.

Selected references

  • OpenAI, Integer multiplication below nlog⁡nn\log nnlogn, preprint, 23 September 2026. https://github.com/openai/math/blob/main/preprints/Integer-multiplication-below-n-log-n-September-23-2026/paper.pdf
  • D. Colkitt, A sharper exponent for integer multiplication (integer-mult-bounds), research draft, 2026. https://github.com/CrocSwap/integer-mult-bounds
  • S. Jain, Integer multiplication: a conditional witness above 2−152^{-15}2−15 (integer-mult-kappa), research draft, 2026. https://github.com/Swapnil-jain/integer-mult-kappa
  • D. Harvey, J. van der Hoeven, Integer multiplication in time O(nlog⁡n)O(n\log n)O(nlogn), Annals of Mathematics 193(2), 563–617, 2021. https://doi.org/10.4007/annals.2021.193.2.4
  • A. Schönhage, V. Strassen, Schnelle Multiplikation großer Zahlen, Computing 7, 281–292, 1971. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02242355
  • H. J. Nussbaumer, Fast polynomial transform algorithms for digital convolution, IEEE Transactions on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing 28(2), 205–215, 1980. https://doi.org/10.1109/TASSP.1980.1163372
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Combinatorics·Captain: marwahaha

Block Sensitivity vs. Sensitivity: Depth-20 ImprovementResearch Paper

Certify α≥2.006470828\alpha\ge2.006470828α≥2.006470828 by specializing OpenAI's general seed theorem to d=20d=20d=20 and M=921M=9^{21}M=921.

The construction gives

s(f)≤A=44M21,bs(f,0)≥B=M2(2M2+1)20.s(f)\le A=44M^{21},\qquad bs(f,0)\ge B=M^2(2M^2+1)^{20}.s(f)≤A=44M21,bs(f,0)≥B=M2(2M2+1)20.

Here bs(f,0)bs(f,0)bs(f,0) is block sensitivity at the all-zero input. The ratio log⁡B/log⁡A\log B/\log AlogB/logA is approximately 2.006470828227379…2.006470828227379\ldots2.006470828227379…. Prove the exact inequality A2.006470828≤BA^{2.006470828}\le BA2.006470828≤B, then reuse the foundation's finite-certificate theorem.

The goal uses the campaign's shared definitions and requires arbitrarily large sensitivity. This is a stronger specialization of the existing construction, not a claim of a new construction or global parameter optimality.

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Linear algebraOperations ResearchOptimization·Captain: mikedeng1

Some NP-Complete Problems in Quadratic and Nonlinear Programming: Copositivity Testing Is NP-Hard via Subset SumResearch Paper

Motivation

Nonlinear programming algorithms are routinely advertised as finding a local minimum. Most of them only certify first-order conditions (a KKT point), and the natural next question is whether a given feasible point is in fact a local minimum. For smooth problems where the Hessian is nonsingular this is a second-order test, but in the degenerate case the test itself becomes a combinatorial question about a quadratic form restricted to a cone.

K. G. Murty and S. N. Kabadi (Math. Programming 39 (1987) 117–129) showed that this question is intractable already in its simplest instance: deciding whether x=0x = 0x=0 is a local minimum of a quadratic form xTDxx^{\mathsf T}DxxTDx on the nonnegative orthant is NP-complete, and so is deciding whether a square integer matrix is copositive. The paper is the standard reference for the hardness of copositivity testing, which matters for copositive programming, for second-order optimality checks in constrained optimization, and for the complexity of local search in nonconvex optimization.

Setting

Let DDD be a real square matrix of order nnn and Q(x)=xTDxQ(x) = x^{\mathsf T}DxQ(x)=xTDx. The matrix DDD is copositive if Q(x)≥0Q(x) \ge 0Q(x)≥0 for every x≥0x \ge 0x≥0 (coordinatewise). The paper considers the quadratic program

(7)minimize Q(x)subject to x≥0,\text{(7)}\qquad \text{minimize } Q(x) \quad \text{subject to } x \ge 0,(7)minimize Q(x)subject to x≥0,

and the following questions, each phrased so that "yes" is the interesting answer:

  • Problem 1. Is x=0x = 0x=0 not a local minimum of (7)?
  • Problem 2. Is QQQ not bounded below on {x≥0}\{x \ge 0\}{x≥0}?
  • Problem 3. Is there an x≥0x \ge 0x≥0 with Q(x)<0Q(x) < 0Q(x)<0 (is DDD not copositive)?
  • Problem 4. Given a0>0a_0 > 0a0​>0, is there an x≥0x \ge 0x≥0 with eTx=a0e^{\mathsf T}x = a_0eTx=a0​ and Q(x)<0Q(x) < 0Q(x)<0? Here eee is the all-ones vector.
  • Problems 11, 12. With h(u)=(u12,…,un2) D (u12,…,un2)Th(u) = (u_1^2, \dots, u_n^2)\,D\,(u_1^2, \dots, u_n^2)^{\mathsf T}h(u)=(u12​,…,un2​)D(u12​,…,un2​)T, the objective of the unconstrained problem (15): is u=0u = 0u=0 not a local minimum of hhh on Rn\mathbb R^nRn, and is hhh not bounded below?

The source problem is subset sum (Problem 5): given positive integers d0;d1,…,dnd_0; d_1, \dots, d_nd0​;d1​,…,dn​, is there y∈{0,1}ny \in \{0,1\}^ny∈{0,1}n with ∑jdjyj=d0\sum_j d_j y_j = d_0∑j​dj​yj​=d0​? Let lll be the total number of digits in the data. The paper fixes an integer δ>4(d0∑jdj)2n3\delta > 4\big(d_0\sum_j d_j\big)^2 n^3δ>4(d0​∑j​dj​)2n3 and a rational ε\varepsilonε with 0<ε<2−nl20 < \varepsilon < 2^{-nl^2}0<ε<2−nl2, and defines functions of 2n2n2n nonnegative variables (y,s)(y, s)(y,s):

f1(y,s)=(∑jdjyj−d0)2+δ∑j(yj+sj−1)2+∑jyjsj,f_1(y,s) = \Big(\sum_j d_j y_j - d_0\Big)^2 + \delta\sum_j (y_j + s_j - 1)^2 + \sum_j y_j s_j,f1​(y,s)=(j∑​dj​yj​−d0​)2+δj∑​(yj​+sj​−1)2+j∑​yj​sj​,

f2=f1+2d0∑jdjyj(1−yj)f_2 = f_1 + 2d_0\sum_j d_j y_j(1 - y_j)f2​=f1​+2d0​∑j​dj​yj​(1−yj​), a homogeneous quadratic f4f_4f4​ that agrees with f2f_2f2​ on the set

P={(y,s):y≥0, s≥0, ∑j(yj+sj)=n},P = \Big\{(y,s) : y \ge 0,\ s \ge 0,\ \sum_j (y_j + s_j) = n\Big\},P={(y,s):y≥0, s≥0, j∑​(yj​+sj​)=n},

and f5=f4−(ε/n2)(∑j(yj+sj))2f_5 = f_4 - (\varepsilon/n^2)\big(\sum_j (y_j + s_j)\big)^2f5​=f4​−(ε/n2)(∑j​(yj​+sj​))2. The function f5f_5f5​ is a quadratic form xTMxx^{\mathsf T}MxxTMx in x=(y,s)∈R2nx = (y, s) \in \mathbb R^{2n}x=(y,s)∈R2n; the symmetric matrix MMM, with entries computed explicitly from d0,d,δ,εd_0, d, \delta, \varepsilond0​,d,δ,ε, is the output of the reduction.

Formalization targets

Goal: the reduction is correct

For positive integer data d0;d1,…,dnd_0; d_1, \dots, d_nd0​;d1​,…,dn​ and δ,ε\delta, \varepsilonδ,ε as above, with MMM the matrix of f5f_5f5​, the following are equivalent:

subset sum is solvable  ⟺  P1(M)  ⟺  P2(M)  ⟺  P3(M)  ⟺  M not copositive  ⟺  P4(M,n)  ⟺  P11(M)  ⟺  P12(M).\text{subset sum is solvable} \iff \text{P1}(M) \iff \text{P2}(M) \iff \text{P3}(M) \iff M \text{ not copositive} \iff \text{P4}(M, n) \iff \text{P11}(M) \iff \text{P12}(M).subset sum is solvable⟺P1(M)⟺P2(M)⟺P3(M)⟺M not copositive⟺P4(M,n)⟺P11(M)⟺P12(M).

This is the mathematical content of Theorems 1–3 and §4: a polynomially computable map from subset sum instances to matrices under which every one of these questions has the answer of the subset sum instance.

Milestones along the paper's chain

  1. Problems 5 and 6 are equivalent: subset sum is solvable iff some (y,s)∈P(y,s) \in P(y,s)∈P has f1≤0f_1 \le 0f1​≤0.
  2. Problems 6 and 7 are equivalent (f1f_1f1​ vs. f2f_2f2​ on PPP).
  3. Problems 7 and 8 are equivalent (f2f_2f2​ vs. f4f_4f4​ on PPP).
  4. Lemma 2: for an integer symmetric DDD of size LLL, the minimum of QQQ over [0,1]n[0,1]^n[0,1]n is 000 or at most −2−L-2^{-L}−2−L.
  5. Problems 8 and 9 are equivalent: ∃ (y,s)∈P\exists\,(y,s)\in P∃(y,s)∈P with f4≤0f_4 \le 0f4​≤0 iff ∃ (y,s)∈P\exists\,(y,s)\in P∃(y,s)∈P with f5<0f_5 < 0f5​<0.
  6. Problem 9 is a special case of Problem 4: f5(y,s)=xTMxf_5(y,s) = x^{\mathsf T}Mxf5​(y,s)=xTMx, and Problem 9 is Problem 4 for (M,a0=n)(M, a_0 = n)(M,a0​=n).
  7. Problems 3 and 4 are equivalent, for any DDD and a0>0a_0 > 0a0​>0.
  8. Problems 1 and 2 are equivalent to Problem 3, for any DDD.
  9. Problems 11 and 12 are equivalent to Problems 1 and 2, for any DDD.

Significance

The result. The equivalence shows that checking local optimality of a feasible point, checking boundedness of a quadratic objective on a cone, and checking copositivity are all at least as hard as subset sum, hence NP-hard. Through (15) the same holds for local minimality and boundedness of a quartic polynomial with no constraints at all. These facts are the standard justification for why nonconvex solvers settle for KKT points, and the copositivity part underlies the hardness of copositive programming.

The formalization. The paper's claims are proved, and have been cited for decades, but the proof as printed is a sketch: several steps are stated as "clearly" or "it can be verified", and one step of the proof of Theorem 1 (p. 125) is false as written. The inequality (δ/2)(yj+sj−1)2+2d0djyj(1−yj)≥0(\delta/2)(y_j + s_j - 1)^2 + 2d_0 d_j y_j(1 - y_j) \ge 0(δ/2)(yj​+sj​−1)2+2d0​dj​yj​(1−yj​)≥0 for yj>1y_j > 1yj​>1 fails for yjy_jyj​ slightly above 111, and the pointwise implication "f2≤0⇒f1≤0f_2 \le 0 \Rightarrow f_1 \le 0f2​≤0⇒f1​≤0 on PPP" has an explicit counterexample. The equivalence of Problems 6 and 7 itself survives numerical checks. A machine-checked proof of the goal settles the correctness of the reduction with the paper's own constants. No machine-checked proof of these statements exists on the platform.

Difficulty

The combinatorial direction (a subset sum solution gives a point with f5<0f_5 < 0f5​<0) is a computation. The converse direction carries the content, in two places.

First, passing from f1f_1f1​ to f2f_2f2​ trades the linear penalty for a quadratic one. This is harmless on the box 0≤y≤10 \le y \le 10≤y≤1 but not for yj>1y_j > 1yj​>1, where 2d0djyj(1−yj)2d_0d_jy_j(1-y_j)2d0​dj​yj​(1−yj​) is negative. The printed argument handles this coordinate by coordinate and is wrong there; a correct argument has to show that no point of PPP with f2≤0f_2 \le 0f2​≤0 exists unless a point with f1≤0f_1 \le 0f1​≤0 does, which requires a global use of the size of δ\deltaδ.

Second, passing from f4≤0f_4 \le 0f4​≤0 to f5<0f_5 < 0f5​<0 requires a quantitative gap: if f4>0f_4 > 0f4​>0 on PPP then min⁡Pf4≥ε\min_P f_4 \ge \varepsilonminP​f4​≥ε with ε\varepsilonε of only polynomially many bits. Lemma 2 provides such a gap for the unit box and integer matrices, but PPP is not the box and f4f_4f4​ has rational coefficients, so the lemma does not apply verbatim.

The remaining equivalences (Problems 1, 2, 3, 4, 11, 12 for a fixed matrix) follow from homogeneity of the quadratic form and the substitution xj=uj2x_j = u_j^2xj​=uj2​, and are routine.

Formalization scope

The data d0,dj,δd_0, d_j, \deltad0​,dj​,δ are natural numbers and ε\varepsilonε is rational; all are cast to R\mathbb RR in f1,…,f5f_1, \dots, f_5f1​,…,f5​ and MMM. The index j=1,…,nj = 1, \dots, nj=1,…,n is Fin n, and the 2n2n2n variables of MMM are indexed by Fin n ⊕ Fin n with x=x = x= Sum.elim y s. Standing hypotheses: dj>0d_j > 0dj​>0 and d0>0d_0 > 0d0​>0 (the paper's "all positive integers"); δ>4(d0∑jdj)2n3\delta > 4(d_0\sum_j d_j)^2n^3δ>4(d0​∑j​dj​)2n3 in N\mathbb NN; ε>0\varepsilon > 0ε>0 and ε⋅2nl2<1\varepsilon \cdot 2^{nl^2} < 1ε⋅2nl2<1 in Q\mathbb QQ. The size lll counts decimal digits. Problem 1 is local minimality relative to the orthant, Problem 11 is unconstrained local minimality, both in the Euclidean topology. Lemma 2 is stated for integer symmetric DDD (as §4 of the paper says, "as before … symmetric"), with LLL Schrijver's encoding size, since the paper does not define "the size of DDD"; the "optimum is 000 or ≤−2−L\le -2^{-L}≤−2−L" is stated as a disjunction without an infimum. The milestones on f2,f4,f5f_2, f_4, f_5f2​,f4​,f5​ over PPP assume n≥1n \ge 1n≥1, which the paper assumes tacitly; the goal needs no such hypothesis.

Not formalized: membership in NP (Lemma 1), the polynomial-time computability of MMM and its encoding size, the NP-completeness of subset sum (cited by the paper from Garey–Johnson), Theorem 4, and any of the words "NP-complete" or "NP-hard". The platform's complexity layer (Turing machines over bitstrings) has no subset sum problem and no encoding of rational matrices. The matrix MMM has rational entries; a positive integer multiple of it is the integer matrix of Theorem 3, has the same answer to every question, and the rescaling is not formalized. The §3 standing assumption "D is not PSD" is not imposed; the constructed matrix can be PSD and the equivalence holds regardless.

The goal is about the explicit matrix MMM, whose entries are given in the definitions; it is not about "some matrix whose quadratic form is f5f_5f5​", and the constants δ\deltaδ and ε\varepsilonε are the paper's explicit bounds, not "sufficiently large" or "for some ε\varepsilonε". A formalization that quantifies existentially over the matrix or the precision would be trivially true and is ruled out.

Contributions welcome: proofs of the matrix identity and the homogeneity arguments (milestones 6–9), a proof of Lemma 2 (which needs a Cramer/Hadamard bound on basic solutions of the linear complementarity system (9)), and a correct proof of the f1↔f2f_1 \leftrightarrow f_2f1​↔f2​ step. The copositivity definitions and milestones 7–9 are reusable for any later work on copositive programming.

Selected references

  • K. G. Murty and S. N. Kabadi, Some NP-complete problems in quadratic and nonlinear programming, Mathematical Programming 39 (1987) 117–129. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02592948
  • M. R. Garey and D. S. Johnson, Computers and Intractability: A Guide to the Theory of NP-Completeness, W. H. Freeman, 1979 (subset sum, problem [SP13]).
  • A. Schrijver, Theory of Linear and Integer Programming, Wiley, 1986 (encoding sizes, §2.1).
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CombinatoricsOperations ResearchTheoretical Computer Science·Captain: mikedeng1

Scheduling Subject to Resource Constraints: Classification and Complexity I: Unit-Time Chains on Two Identical Machines with One Unit Resource Are Strongly NP-hardResearch Paper

Resource constraints and the easy/hard borderline in scheduling

Machine scheduling asks how to assign jobs to machines over time so that a criterion such as the makespan Cmax⁡C_{\max}Cmax​, the time at which the last job completes, is as small as possible. In practice jobs also compete for scarce resources beyond the machines themselves: tools, operators, memory, power. Błażewicz, Lenstra and Rinnooy Kan (DAM 1983) extended the standard three-field classification α∣β∣γ\alpha\mid\beta\mid\gammaα∣β∣γ of Graham, Lawler, Lenstra and Rinnooy Kan (1979) by a resource field resλσρres\lambda\sigma\rhoresλσρ. They then settled the complexity of every problem with parallel identical or uniform machines, unit-time jobs, precedence constraints and the Cmax⁡C_{\max}Cmax​ criterion. Their Fig. 2 separates the maximal polynomially solvable problems from the minimal NP-hard ones, and it has been the reference map for resource-constrained scheduling since.

Brief timeline of the problems involved:

  • 1975. Garey and Johnson (SIAM J. Comput. 4) show that P2∣res⋯ ,pj=1∣Cmax⁡P2\mid res\cdots, p_j=1\mid C_{\max}P2∣res⋯,pj​=1∣Cmax​ is solvable in polynomial time via matchings, and that P3∣res1⋅⋅,pj=1∣Cmax⁡P3\mid res1\cdot\cdot, p_j=1\mid C_{\max}P3∣res1⋅⋅,pj​=1∣Cmax​ and P2∣res1⋅⋅,tree,pj=1∣Cmax⁡P2\mid res1\cdot\cdot, tree, p_j=1\mid C_{\max}P2∣res1⋅⋅,tree,pj​=1∣Cmax​ are NP-hard in the strong sense, by reduction from 3-PARTITION.
  • 1976. Ullman (Complexity of sequencing problems, in Coffman, ed., Computer & Job/Shop Scheduling Theory, Wiley) gives strong NP-hardness of P2∣res111,prec,pj=1∣Cmax⁡P2\mid res111, prec, p_j=1\mid C_{\max}P2∣res111,prec,pj​=1∣Cmax​ under arbitrary precedence constraints.
  • 1983. Błażewicz, Lenstra and Rinnooy Kan prove Theorem 7: chains suffice. Two identical machines, one resource of size one, requirements in {0,1}\{0,1\}{0,1} and chain-like precedence already give a strongly NP-hard problem. The result dominates both earlier two-machine results.

Setting

There are nnn jobs J1,…,JnJ_1,\dots,J_nJ1​,…,Jn​ and mmm machines M1,…,MmM_1,\dots,M_mM1​,…,Mm​. Every job has processing time 111 on every machine, each machine handles at most one job at a time, and jobs are not preempted. There are lll resources; resource RhR_hRh​ has a positive integer size shs_hsh​, the amount available at any time, and job JjJ_jJj​ has a nonnegative integer requirement rhjr_{hj}rhj​, the amount it holds throughout its execution. A directed acyclic graph HHH on the jobs gives the precedence constraints: if HHH has a path from jjj to kkk (Jj→JkJ_j\to J_kJj​→Jk​), then JjJ_jJj​ must complete before JkJ_kJk​ starts. The precedence is chain-like when every vertex of HHH has indegree and outdegree at most one.

A schedule gives each job a machine and a real start time SjS_jSj​; the job occupies [Sj,Sj+1)[S_j, S_j+1)[Sj​,Sj​+1) and completes at Cj=Sj+1C_j = S_j+1Cj​=Sj​+1. It is feasible if jobs on one machine do not overlap, precedence is respected, and at every time ttt the jobs running at ttt require at most shs_hsh​ of each resource RhR_hRh​. The makespan is Cmax⁡=max⁡jCjC_{\max} = \max_j C_jCmax​=maxj​Cj​.

The problem P2∣res111,chain,pj=1∣Cmax⁡P2\mid res111, chain, p_j=1\mid C_{\max}P2∣res111,chain,pj​=1∣Cmax​ restricts this to m=2m=2m=2, one resource (λ=1\lambda=1λ=1) of size 111 (σ=1\sigma=1σ=1), every requirement at most 111 (ρ=1\rho=1ρ=1), and chain-like precedence. The problem P3∣res1⋅⋅,pj=1∣Cmax⁡P3\mid res1\cdot\cdot, p_j=1\mid C_{\max}P3∣res1⋅⋅,pj​=1∣Cmax​ has m=3m=3m=3, one resource of arbitrary size and requirements, and no precedence.

3-PARTITION: given ttt, a positive integer bbb and positive integers a1,…,a3ta_1,\dots,a_{3t}a1​,…,a3t​ with ∑jaj=tb\sum_j a_j = tb∑j​aj​=tb and 14b<aj<12b\tfrac14 b<a_j<\tfrac12 b41​b<aj​<21​b, can {1,…,3t}\{1,\dots,3t\}{1,…,3t} be split into ttt disjoint 3-element sets SiS_iSi​ with ∑j∈Siaj=b\sum_{j\in S_i}a_j=b∑j∈Si​​aj​=b?

A problem is NP-hard in the strong sense if it remains NP-hard when every number of the instance is written in unary.

Formalization targets

Goal: Theorem 7

3-PARTITION is NP-hard in the strong sense  ⟹  P2∣res111, chain, pj=1∣Cmax⁡ is NP-hard in the strong sense.\text{3-PARTITION is NP-hard in the strong sense} \;\Longrightarrow\; P2\mid res111,\ chain,\ p_j=1\mid C_{\max}\ \text{is NP-hard in the strong sense.}3-PARTITION is NP-hard in the strong sense⟹P2∣res111, chain, pj​=1∣Cmax​ is NP-hard in the strong sense.

The hypothesis is Garey and Johnson's theorem on 3-PARTITION, which the paper cites and does not prove. The conclusion concerns the decision version: given an instance and y∈Ny\in\mathbb Ny∈N, is there a feasible schedule with Cmax⁡≤yC_{\max}\le yCmax​≤y?

Milestones

  1. Proof of Theorem 4, the saturation equivalence. For positive bbb, aja_jaj​ with ∑jaj=tb\sum_j a_j=tb∑j​aj​=tb, the P3∣res1⋅⋅P3\mid res1\cdot\cdotP3∣res1⋅⋅ instance with 3t3t3t unit jobs, resource size bbb and requirements aja_jaj​ has a feasible schedule with Cmax⁡≤tC_{\max}\le tCmax​≤t iff the 3-PARTITION instance has a solution.
  2. Theorem 4 (Garey and Johnson). Under the same hypothesis as the goal, P3∣res1⋅⋅,pj=1∣Cmax⁡P3\mid res1\cdot\cdot, p_j=1\mid C_{\max}P3∣res1⋅⋅,pj​=1∣Cmax​ is NP-hard in the strong sense.
  3. Proof of Theorem 7, "if". A 3-PARTITION solution yields a feasible schedule of the constructed two-machine instance with Cmax⁡=2tbC_{\max}=2tbCmax​=2tb.
  4. Proof of Theorem 7, "only if". A feasible schedule of the constructed instance with Cmax⁡≤2tbC_{\max}\le 2tbCmax​≤2tb yields a 3-PARTITION solution.

Significance

Theorem 7 is the sharpest hardness result of the paper's classification. Without resources, two-machine unit-time scheduling with arbitrary precedence is polynomial (Coffman and Graham, Acta Inform. 1972); without precedence, it is polynomial under arbitrary resources (Theorem 1 of the paper). The theorem shows that combining the weakest nontrivial versions of both constraints, chains and one unit resource, already crosses the borderline. The paper's §4.1 extends the same reduction to the ∑Cj\sum C_j∑Cj​ and Lmax⁡L_{\max}Lmax​ criteria.

On the formal side, the mission provides a machine-checked model of resource-constrained scheduling with real start times, a definition of NP-hardness in the strong sense on top of the platform's Turing-machine formalization of P\mathrm PP and NP\mathrm{NP}NP, and 3-PARTITION as a reusable source problem. As far as the platform's corpus shows, none of Theorems 4 and 7, 3-PARTITION, or strong NP-hardness has been formalized before. Both theorems are proved in the literature; what remains is to formalize the reductions and their polynomial running time.

Difficulty

The combinatorial heart is the "only if" direction: a schedule of length 2tb2tb2tb must be shown to be rigid. Start times are arbitrary reals, so the first obstacle is to show that both machines are busy throughout [0,2tb)[0,2tb)[0,2tb), that the chain LLL forces unit spacing, and that the primed jobs of the chains Kj′K'_jKj′​ can only run in the intervals the chain LLL leaves free of the resource. Only after this is established can the index sets SiS_iSi​ be read off. Arguing on integer time slots from the start is not enough: the model allows fractional start times, and ruling them out is part of the proof.

The second obstacle is the complexity layer. NP-hardness is stated with respect to polynomial-time many-one reductions computed by one-tape Turing machines. The reduction from 3-PARTITION therefore has to be implemented and its running time bounded on unary codes. The constructed instance has 4tb4tb4tb jobs, which is polynomial in the unary length of the 3-PARTITION instance; this is exactly why the reduction proves hardness in the strong sense.

Formalization scope

  • Model. Jobs are Fin n and machines Fin m, 0-based. Only identical machines with unit processing times are modelled. Start times are real, execution intervals are half-open, and the resource constraint is imposed at every real time. Precedence is the transitive closure of the arc list of HHH. Cmax⁡=0C_{\max}=0Cmax​=0 for an empty instance.
  • Decision version. Thresholds yyy are natural numbers; this narrower class makes the hardness statement stronger.
  • Encoding. An instance is described by its list of numbers (n,m,ln,m,ln,m,l, the sizes, the requirements row by row, the number of arcs and the arcs, then yyy). The unary language is the set of unary codes of yes-instances over a two-letter alphabet. No pairing function is used. The class conditions (two machines, one unit resource, requirements at most one, chain-like acyclic HHH) are part of the yes-predicate.
  • Strong sense. Strong NP-hardness is NP-hardness of the unary language. This is equivalent to Garey and Johnson's definition, which bounds the largest number by a polynomial in the instance length.
  • Cited hypothesis. The goal and Theorem 4 assume strong NP-hardness of 3-PARTITION (with 14b<aj<12b\tfrac14 b<a_j<\tfrac12 b41​b<aj​<21​b) and nothing else. Stating the goal as a bare reduction between the two languages, or adding P≠NP\mathrm P\ne\mathrm{NP}P=NP, would not be Theorem 7.
  • Constructions. The two scheduling instances built from a 3-PARTITION instance are explicit definitions following the page, not arbitrary instances with a property.
  • Reuse. The scheduling model and the strong-NP-hardness layer are shared with the other missions of this series; 3-PARTITION serves any strong NP-hardness proof by number partitioning.

Welcome contributions: proofs of the four milestones; a formalized polynomial-time implementation of the reduction on unary codes; general lemmas about composing polynomial-time reductions on the one-tape machine model.

Selected references

  • J. Błażewicz, J. K. Lenstra, A. H. G. Rinnooy Kan, Scheduling subject to resource constraints: classification and complexity, Discrete Applied Mathematics 5 (1983) 11–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/0166-218X(83)90012-4
  • M. R. Garey, D. S. Johnson, Complexity results for multiprocessor scheduling under resource constraints, SIAM J. Comput. 4 (1975) 397–411. https://doi.org/10.1137/0204035
  • M. R. Garey, D. S. Johnson, Computers and Intractability: A Guide to the Theory of NP-Completeness, Freeman, 1979.
  • R. L. Graham, E. L. Lawler, J. K. Lenstra, A. H. G. Rinnooy Kan, Optimization and approximation in deterministic sequencing and scheduling: a survey, Ann. Discrete Math. 5 (1979) 287–326. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-5060(08)70356-X
  • J. D. Ullman, Complexity of sequencing problems, in: E. G. Coffman, Jr., ed., Computer & Job/Shop Scheduling Theory, Wiley, 1976, 139–164.
  • E. G. Coffman, Jr., R. L. Graham, Optimal scheduling for two-processor systems, Acta Informatica 1 (1972) 200–213. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00288685
  • S. Cook, The P versus NP problem, Clay Mathematics Institute official problem description.
11 thms5 active usersReviewed
🏆Completed
Combinatorics·Captain: Abhishek Anand

Block Sensitivity vs. Sensitivity: Reach 2.127294Open Problem

Prove a separation exponent of 2.127294, building on Robin Kothari’s 2.075 construction and yousofy’s 2.105 proof with twelve nested predicates and sharper joint boundary bounds.

6 thms4 active usersReviewed
🏆Completed
Theoretical Computer Science·Captain: marwahaha

Integer multiplication: κ = 1/2^154 (OpenAI construction, frozen-154 constants)Open Problem

Motivation

Multiplying two nnn-bit integers on a multitape Turing machine takes O(nlog⁡n)O(n\log n)O(nlogn) steps by the algorithm of Harvey and van der Hoeven (2021), and nlog⁡nn\log nnlogn was long conjectured to be optimal. The OpenAI manuscript Integer multiplication below nlog⁡nn\log nnlogn (September 2026) gives a machine running in time O(n L(n)1−κ)O(n\,L(n)^{1-\kappa})O(nL(n)1−κ) with κ=2−182\kappa = 2^{-182}κ=2−182, which beats nlog⁡nn\log nnlogn by a factor that grows without bound. That theorem is now fully formalized on this platform: IntMul.Kappa.campaign_bound_inv_two_pow_182 is Proved, through the published development NLogN.KFTop.kappa_bound.

The manuscript calls its constants "deliberately conservative; no optimization is claimed." The community repository CrocSwap/integer-mult-bounds records which constants the same construction tolerates. Its patch frozen-154 keeps the original swap networks and recurrence exponents and changes only four constants of the final assembly, which raises the saving to κ=2−154\kappa = 2^{-154}κ=2−154. This mission formalizes that retuning.

Timeline of the saving κ\kappaκ for this construction:

  • 2026, OpenAI manuscript: κ=2−182\kappa = 2^{-182}κ=2−182, with ε=2−75\varepsilon = 2^{-75}ε=2−75, c=2−56c = 2^{-56}c=2−56, λ′=1−2−54\lambda' = 1 - 2^{-54}λ′=1−2−54, τ=1−2−50\tau = 1 - 2^{-50}τ=1−2−50. Formalized on Prove2me in October 2026.
  • 2026, frozen-154 patch: κ=2−154\kappa = 2^{-154}κ=2−154, with ε=c=2−51\varepsilon = c = 2^{-51}ε=c=2−51, λ=1−2−101\lambda = 1 - 2^{-101}λ=1−2−101, λ′=1−2−102\lambda' = 1 - 2^{-102}λ′=1−2−102, and the same networks. Not yet formalized.
  • Later community rounds (new networks, Jain's rounds six to eight) reach κ≈10−4\kappa \approx 10^{-4}κ≈10−4. They are separate entries in this campaign, and their machine-level theorems are still Open.

Setting

A multitape Turing machine has a finite alphabet, finitely many states, a read-only input tape, an output tape and finitely many work tapes. On input x#yx\#yx#y with x,y∈{0,1}nx, y \in \{0,1\}^nx,y∈{0,1}n it must halt with the 2n2n2n-bit binary expansion of val(x)⋅val(y)\mathrm{val}(x)\cdot\mathrm{val}(y)val(x)⋅val(y) on the output tape. Write L(n)=max⁡(⌈log⁡2n⌉,1)L(n) = \max(\lceil \log_2 n\rceil, 1)L(n)=max(⌈log2​n⌉,1). The proposition KappaBound(κ)\mathrm{KappaBound}(\kappa)KappaBound(κ) (from IntMul_MultitapeModel) says that one such machine is correct for every n≥1n \ge 1n≥1 and runs in at most C n L(n)1−κC\,n\,L(n)^{1-\kappa}CnL(n)1−κ steps for all large nnn.

The OpenAI machine processes inputs of length nnn using the parameters b=L(n)b = L(n)b=L(n), p=6bp = 6bp=6b, d=⌊bε⌋d = \lfloor b^{\varepsilon}\rfloord=⌊bε⌋ (the number of axes of the transform), K=⌊dc⌋K = \lfloor d^{c}\rfloorK=⌊dc⌋ (the chunk width of the transform layout), ℓ=⌈L/d⌉\ell = \lceil L/d\rceilℓ=⌈L/d⌉ and α=⌈(12d2b)1/4⌉\alpha = \lceil (12 d^2 b)^{1/4}\rceilα=⌈(12d2b)1/4⌉, where LLL is least with 4n≤2Lb4n \le 2^L b4n≤2Lb and V=2LpV = 2^L pV=2Lp is the bit volume. Its running time divided by VVV is bounded by the normalized cost table (Table 1 of the manuscript)

N(p,d,K,ℓ,α)=dK+pKτ−1+ℓdλ′+d2(1+ℓτ)+d p1/2+δα+d pδ+(ℓ+log⁡2p)+pδ+1.N(p,d,K,\ell,\alpha) = dK + pK^{\tau-1} + \ell d^{\lambda'} + d^2(1+\ell^{\tau}) + d\,p^{1/2+\delta}\alpha + d\,p^{\delta} + (\ell + \log_2 p) + p^{\delta} + 1.N(p,d,K,ℓ,α)=dK+pKτ−1+ℓdλ′+d2(1+ℓτ)+dp1/2+δα+dpδ+(ℓ+log2​p)+pδ+1.

Each row is at most ppp to a power below one. The seven margins below one are

g1=1−ε(1+c), g2=εc(1−τ), g3=ε(1−λ′), g4=1−τ−ε(2−τ), g5=14−δ−3ε2, g6=1−δ−ε, g7=ε,g_1 = 1-\varepsilon(1+c),\ g_2 = \varepsilon c(1-\tau),\ g_3 = \varepsilon(1-\lambda'),\ g_4 = 1-\tau-\varepsilon(2-\tau),\ g_5 = \tfrac14-\delta-\tfrac{3\varepsilon}{2},\ g_6 = 1-\delta-\varepsilon,\ g_7 = \varepsilon,g1​=1−ε(1+c), g2​=εc(1−τ), g3​=ε(1−λ′), g4​=1−τ−ε(2−τ), g5​=41​−δ−23ε​, g6​=1−δ−ε, g7​=ε,

and the saving is κ=12min⁡igi\kappa = \tfrac12\min_i g_iκ=21​mini​gi​. At the manuscript's constants the minimum is g2=2−181g_2 = 2^{-181}g2​=2−181. At the frozen-154 constants (τ=1−2−50\tau = 1-2^{-50}τ=1−2−50 and δ=1/16\delta = 1/16δ=1/16 unchanged) the minimum is g3=2−153g_3 = 2^{-153}g3​=2−153, so κ=2−154\kappa = 2^{-154}κ=2−154.

The definition file IntMul_OpenAI_R154 fixes these constants, the table NNN (named Ncost) and the parameter map dP, KP, ℓP, αP. It reuses bbb, LLL, TTT, ppp and VVV from the published IntMul.OpenAI.Glue, since they do not depend on the constants.

Formalization targets

Goal

KappaBound ⁣(2−154)\mathrm{KappaBound}\!\left(2^{-154}\right)KappaBound(2−154)

This is the campaign template with value 1/21541/2^{154}1/2154, stated over the campaign's foundation definitions.

Milestones

  1. Margins: at the new constants, 2κ≤gi2\kappa \le g_i2κ≤gi​ for all seven margins, together with the layer conditions τ(1+c/β)<λ′<1\tau(1 + c/\beta) < \lambda' < 1τ(1+c/β)<λ′<1 (with β=1/2\beta = 1/2β=1/2) and λ′−τ−c>0\lambda' - \tau - c > 0λ′−τ−c>0.
  2. Cost table: under the pointwise bounds pε/12≤d≤pεp^{\varepsilon}/12 \le d \le p^{\varepsilon}pε/12≤d≤pε, pεc/24≤K≤pεcp^{\varepsilon c}/24 \le K \le p^{\varepsilon c}pεc/24≤K≤pεc, 0≤ℓ≤p/(3d)0 \le \ell \le p/(3d)0≤ℓ≤p/(3d), 0≤α≤4p1/4+ε/20 \le \alpha \le 4p^{1/4+\varepsilon/2}0≤α≤4p1/4+ε/2, one has N(p,d,K,ℓ,α)≤50 p1−2κN(p,d,K,\ell,\alpha) \le 50\,p^{1-2\kappa}N(p,d,K,ℓ,α)≤50p1−2κ.
  3. Parameters: for all large nnn, the concrete parameters satisfy those pointwise bounds with p=6L(n)p = 6L(n)p=6L(n), and 0≤V≤48n0 \le V \le 48n0≤V≤48n.
  4. Reduction: a correct machine whose time is at most C0(V⋅N⋅(log⁡L(n)+1)A+n)C_0\big(V\cdot N \cdot (\log L(n) + 1)^A + n\big)C0​(V⋅N⋅(logL(n)+1)A+n) for all large nnn, with any parameter sequences obeying the pointwise bounds, satisfies KappaBound(2−154)\mathrm{KappaBound}(2^{-154})KappaBound(2−154).
  5. Machine: there is a correct multitape machine whose time is at most C0(V⋅N(6L(n),d,K,ℓ,α)⋅(log⁡L(n)+1)A+n)C_0\big(V\cdot N(6L(n), d, K, \ell, \alpha)\cdot(\log L(n)+1)^A + n\big)C0​(V⋅N(6L(n),d,K,ℓ,α)⋅(logL(n)+1)A+n) for all large nnn, at the concrete frozen-154 parameters.

The goal follows from milestones 3, 4 and 5 by a short argument.

Significance

The result itself. The bound improves the formally verified saving for exact integer multiplication on multitape machines from 2−1822^{-182}2−182 to 2−1542^{-154}2−154, a factor of 2282^{28}228, without new mathematics in the networks. It also checks that the manuscript's construction is robust to its constants, which the manuscript asserts but does not exercise.

Formalizing it. The 2−1822^{-182}2−182 development hard-codes ε\varepsilonε and ccc in its parameter map (IntMul.OpenAI.Glue.dP, KP) and in the statements built on them. A development written against general constants, or a second instantiation, makes every later retuning cheap and separates what depends on the constants from what does not. Milestones 1 to 4 are short and mirror proved lemmas of the 2−1822^{-182}2−182 development. Milestone 5 is the substance.

Difficulty

The cost analysis is not where the difficulty lies; it is finite arithmetic with real powers. The difficulty is milestone 5: re-establishing the machine's time bound at the new ddd and KKK. A larger ε\varepsilonε makes ddd grow much faster with bbb, and a larger ccc makes the chunk width KKK grow faster with ddd. Every lemma whose proof used the old exponents numerically must be rechecked. These include the depth guard for the recursive layers, the bound on the simultaneous-layer exponent λ′\lambda'λ′, and the requirement that the auxiliary gate counts fit in p+3p + 3p+3 bits. Reusing the 2−1822^{-182}2−182 proofs verbatim fails wherever they rely on d≤b2−75d \le b^{2^{-75}}d≤b2−75 or K≤d2−56K \le d^{2^{-56}}K≤d2−56 specifically.

Formalization scope

All statements use the Mathlib environment of the campaign (0df444a, Lean v4.33.1) and the machine model IntMul_MultitapeModel: a fixed finite alphabet and state set, k≥2k \ge 2k≥2 one-way infinite tapes, a read-only input tape, and exact output bin2n(val(x)val(y))\mathrm{bin}_{2n}(\mathrm{val}(x)\mathrm{val}(y))bin2n​(val(x)val(y)). Real powers are Real.rpow. L(n)=max⁡(⌈log⁡2n⌉,1)L(n) = \max(\lceil\log_2 n\rceil, 1)L(n)=max(⌈log2​n⌉,1) is IntMul.lg.

The machine milestone quantifies over one machine for all lengths. A machine that hard-codes answers for finitely many lengths still has to be correct everywhere and to meet the time bound for all large nnn, so no finite table trivializes it. The polylogarithmic factor (log⁡L(n)+1)A(\log L(n)+1)^A(logL(n)+1)A in milestones 4 and 5 matches the manuscript's statement that the slack 2κ2\kappa2κ "covers any remaining fixed power of log⁡p\log plogp". It does not weaken the goal.

Contributions are welcome at every level: proofs of milestones 1 to 4, a parametric version of the Glue, KFM and KFV parameter lemmas, and sketches that split milestone 5 into the phases of the 2−1822^{-182}2−182 machine.

Selected references

  • D. Harvey and J. van der Hoeven, Integer multiplication in time O(nlog⁡n)O(n\log n)O(nlogn), Annals of Mathematics 193 (2021). https://doi.org/10.4007/annals.2021.193.2.4
  • OpenAI, Integer multiplication below nlog⁡nn\log nnlogn, preprint, September 2026, §8 (Table 1, equation (fixed-parameters), margin list). https://github.com/openai/math/tree/adc7f1241b42e322a6451854ab7e4b4c146bf78a/preprints/Integer-multiplication-below-n-log-n-September-23-2026
  • D. Colkitt et al., integer-mult-bounds, patch frozen-154. https://github.com/CrocSwap/integer-mult-bounds/blob/main/patches/frozen-154.patch
  • Prove2me, NLogN.KFTop.kappa_bound and IntMul.OpenAI.Glue.kappaBound_of_machine (the formalized 2−1822^{-182}2−182 development).
22 thms4 active usersReviewed
🏆Completed
Combinatorics·Captain: Robin Kothari

Block Sensitivity vs. Sensitivity: Reach 2.10Open Problem

How far apart can the two sensitivities be?

Sensitivity and block sensitivity measure two ways that a Boolean function can react to changes in its input. Both are basic measures in query complexity, where the input is accessed one coordinate at a time. Their relationship asks how much a function's response to changes involving several coordinates can exceed its response to individual coordinate changes.

Hao Huang's proof of the Sensitivity Conjecture established a polynomial relationship between sensitivity and polynomial degree in 2019, resolving the qualitative polynomial-relation question. The quantitative problem of obtaining the largest possible separation exponent remains the focus of this campaign. This mission asks for the specific exponent 2.10=21/102.10=21/102.10=21/10.

The relevant progression is:

  • The classical benchmark is a quadratic separation, included among the campaign's proved entries.
  • In 2026, OpenAI problem 132 supplied a superquadratic construction and a Lean formalization establishing an exponent strictly above 222.
  • On 16 October 2026, the campaign had accepted proofs at exponents 2.03912.03912.0391 and 2.052.052.05. The 2.05 entry is the proved benchmark when this proposal is drafted.
  • The present mission proposes 2.102.102.10 as the next research target. It does not assert that a construction achieving this exponent is already known.

Boolean functions and sensitive changes

A total Boolean function assigns an output bit to every input consisting of nnn bits:

f:{0,1}n⟶{0,1}.f:\{0,1\}^n\longrightarrow\{0,1\}.f:{0,1}n⟶{0,1}.

For an input xxx and a coordinate set BBB, write xBx^BxB for the input obtained by flipping exactly the coordinates in BBB. The sensitivity at an input counts the individual coordinates whose flip changes the output:

s(f,x)=∣{i:f(x{i})≠f(x)}∣.s(f,x)=\bigl|\{i:f(x^{\{i\}})\ne f(x)\}\bigr|.s(f,x)=​{i:f(x{i})=f(x)}​.

The block sensitivity at an input is the largest number of pairwise disjoint nonempty coordinate sets whose separate flips each change the output:

bs(f,x)=max⁡{m:there are disjoint nonempty B1,…,Bm with f(xBj)≠f(x) for all j}.bs(f,x)=\max\bigl\{m:\text{there are disjoint nonempty }B_1,\ldots,B_m \text{ with }f(x^{B_j})\ne f(x)\text{ for all }j\bigr\}.bs(f,x)=max{m:there are disjoint nonempty B1​,…,Bm​ with f(xBj​)=f(x) for all j}.

The two global measures maximize over all inputs:

s(f)=max⁡xs(f,x),bs(f)=max⁡xbs(f,x).s(f)=\max_x s(f,x),\qquad bs(f)=\max_x bs(f,x).s(f)=xmax​s(f,x),bs(f)=xmax​bs(f,x).

There is no restriction to monotone functions, symmetric functions, or any particular construction. The number of variables may vary with the desired sensitivity threshold and approximation to the exponent.

Target: separation exponent at least 2.10

Prove that for every real ε>0\varepsilon>0ε>0 and every integer S≥2S\ge2S≥2, there are a dimension nnn and a total Boolean function fff such that

s(f)≥S,bs(f)≥s(f)21/10−ε.s(f)\ge S,\qquad bs(f)\ge s(f)^{21/10-\varepsilon}.s(f)≥S,bs(f)≥s(f)21/10−ε.

The shared campaign predicate SensitivityCampaign.AchievesExponent (2.10 : ℝ) expresses exactly this statement. The decimal denotes the exact rational number 21/1021/1021/10. The witnesses may depend on both ε\varepsilonε and SSS; no fixed function is required to work for every threshold. The unbounded-threshold requirement is essential to the asymptotic separation being asked for.

What reaching 2.10 would establish

A solution would strengthen the campaign's proved lower bound on the possible separation exponent from 2.052.052.05 to 2.102.102.10. It would provide Boolean functions with arbitrarily large sensitivity and block sensitivity growing with the specified larger power, with an arbitrarily small loss in the exponent.

This is an open research target, rather than a request to transcribe an existing proof of 2.102.102.10. A complete contribution must establish the mathematical claim and provide a Lean proof using the shared definitions. Improvements to constructions, sharper bounds for existing constructions, and reusable supporting results are all relevant contributions. Acceptance of a proposal merely opens the target; a proof is needed to establish the new bound.

The main difficulty

A successful construction must support many disjoint sensitive blocks while controlling sensitivity at every input. A large collection of block witnesses at one input supplies only part of the required information: the upper bound on sensitivity is global. Bounds that lose too much in this global analysis can erase the desired exponent improvement.

The available campaign infrastructure already includes proved theorems converting suitable finite certificates into the asymptotic conclusion. The unresolved work is to obtain stronger certified bounds on a construction, or to establish the asymptotic target directly. A numerical estimate of a separation exponent does not replace a proof of the inequalities on which that estimate depends.

Formalization scope and existing foundations

Functions are represented as (Fin n → Bool) → Bool. Both complexity measures are natural-number maxima over finite sets; the comparison involving an exponent casts them to real numbers and uses real exponentiation. Since every requested witness satisfies s(f)≥S≥2s(f)\ge S\ge2s(f)≥S≥2, its power has a positive base. Zero-dimensional and constant functions cannot satisfy the sensitivity requirement.

The proposal retains the foundation definitions SensitivitySeparation and SensitivityCampaign. It also references two already-proved supporting theorems, rather than introducing alternative definitions or assuming any particular family of functions:

  • SensitivityCampaign.finite_certificate: bounds on sensitivity and block sensitivity at a chosen input, together with an exact power inequality, imply the campaign conclusion at the stated nonnegative exponent.
  • SensitivityCampaign.finite_certificate_log: the same finite bounds certify the exponent given by the ratio of their logarithms.

These statements are included as reusable foundation milestones. Their hypotheses require integer bounds greater than one, so the logarithmic denominator is positive. Solvers may use either criterion or prove the quantified target directly. The environment is Lean 4.33.1 with the campaign's pinned Mathlib revision.

Selected references

  • Hao Huang, Induced subgraphs of hypercubes and a proof of the Sensitivity Conjecture, Annals of Mathematics 190 (2019), 949–955. Article.
  • OpenAI, A superquadratic separation between sensitivity and block sensitivity, problem 132, 2026. Formalization scope and source links.
  • Prove2Me, Block Sensitivity vs. Sensitivity, 2026. Campaign, shared foundations, and verified entries.
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Combinatorics·Captain: marwahaha

Block Sensitivity vs. Sensitivity: Reach 2.05Open Problem

Establish a separation exponent of at least 2.052.052.05 between block sensitivity and sensitivity of total Boolean functions.

The target is an infinite family fk:{0,1}nk→{0,1}f_k:\{0,1\}^{n_k}\to\{0,1\}fk​:{0,1}nk​→{0,1} such that

s(fk)→∞,bs(fk)≥s(fk)2.05−o(1)as k→∞.s(f_k)\to\infty,\qquad bs(f_k)\ge s(f_k)^{2.05-o(1)}\quad\text{as }k\to\infty.s(fk​)→∞,bs(fk​)≥s(fk​)2.05−o(1)as k→∞.

Here o(1)o(1)o(1) tends to zero with kkk. Sensitivity is the maximum number of individual coordinate flips that change the output at a common input; block sensitivity allows pairwise disjoint nonempty sets of coordinates instead. Both maxima range over all inputs.

The Lean goal uses the campaign’s shared definition: for every ε>0\varepsilon>0ε>0 and every integer S≥2S\ge2S≥2, there must be a total Boolean function fff with s(f)≥Ss(f)\ge Ss(f)≥S and bs(f)≥s(f)2.05−εbs(f)\ge s(f)^{2.05-\varepsilon}bs(f)≥s(f)2.05−ε. The decimal 2.052.052.05 means exactly 41/2041/2041/20.

One sufficient route is a finite function fff, an input xxx, and integers A,B>1A,B>1A,B>1 satisfying

s(f)≤A,bs(f,x)≥B,A2.05≤B.s(f)\le A,\qquad bs(f,x)\ge B,\qquad A^{2.05}\le B.s(f)≤A,bs(f,x)≥B,A2.05≤B.

The proved theorem SensitivityCampaign.finite_certificate then gives the asymptotic conclusion. Direct family constructions are equally welcome.

The starting milestone is the campaign’s proved exponent 2.02052.02052.0205. The target 2.052.052.05 is a challenge to prove, not an established campaign record. Further background and construction parameters appear in the campaign proposal.

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Combinatorics·Captain: marwahaha

Block Sensitivity vs. Sensitivity: Reach 2.007Open Problem

Establish the separation exponent α≥2.007\alpha\ge2.007α≥2.007 for total Boolean functions, improving on the depth-20 specialization of OpenAI's construction.

Precisely, for every ε>0\varepsilon>0ε>0 and every integer S≥2S\ge2S≥2, construct a function fff with s(f)≥Ss(f)\ge Ss(f)≥S and bs(f)≥s(f)2.007−εbs(f)\ge s(f)^{2.007-\varepsilon}bs(f)≥s(f)2.007−ε.

A finite certificate is sufficient: supply a function and an input xxx with s(f)≤As(f)\le As(f)≤A, bs(f,x)≥Bbs(f,x)\ge Bbs(f,x)≥B, A,B>1A,B>1A,B>1, and A2.007≤BA^{2.007}\le BA2.007≤B, then apply the shared certificate theorem. Sharper estimates, improved parameters, and different constructions are all eligible; direct family proofs are also welcome.

This is an open research target. The preceding benchmarks are 222 classically and approximately 2.0064708282.0064708282.006470828 from the depth-20 seed. Numerical searches guide discovery but do not replace certified bounds. Intermediate improvements are welcome as separate campaign entries.

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Algorithmic Game TheoryOperations Research·Captain: mikedeng1

The Complexity of Computing a Nash Equilibrium 3: Trimming an Approximate Nash Equilibrium Yields a Well-Supported OneResearch Paper

Motivation

The complexity of computing a Nash equilibrium is usually studied for an approximate equilibrium, because an exact equilibrium of a game with three or more players can require irrational probabilities. Two approximation notions are in use, and results proved for one do not automatically transfer to the other. Daskalakis, Goldberg and Papadimitriou (SIAM J. Comput. 39(1), 2009) prove their PPAD-hardness results for the stronger notion, the ε-approximately well-supported Nash equilibrium, and then show in their §4.7 (Lemma 4.28, announced as Lemma 2.1) that any ε-approximate Nash equilibrium can be turned, by an explicit and cheap transformation, into an approximately well-supported one with a polynomially worse accuracy. This is what lets their hardness results hold for both notions. A weaker version of the relation had been pointed out by Chen, Deng and Teng (FOCS 2006, reference [9] of the paper).

This mission formalizes Lemma 4.28 together with the steps of its proof: the best-response inequality (28), Claims 5 and 6, and the Lipschitz estimate of Lemma 4.26 (used in the proof as Lemma 4.29).

Setting

A game in normal form has r≥2r\ge2r≥2 players. Player ppp has a finite set SpS_pSp​ of pure strategies; S=∏pSpS=\prod_p S_pS=∏p​Sp​ is the set of pure strategy profiles and S−pS_{-p}S−p​ the set of profiles of the players other than ppp. For each player ppp and profile s∈Ss\in Ss∈S there is a payoff usp≥0u^p_s\ge0usp​≥0; for j∈Spj\in S_pj∈Sp​ and s∈S−ps\in S_{-p}s∈S−p​ the payoff to ppp at the profile (j,s)(j,s)(j,s) is written ujspu^p_{js}ujsp​. The number max⁡{u}\max\{u\}max{u} is the largest entry uspu^p_susp​ over all players and all profiles.

A mixed profile x={xjp}x=\{x^p_j\}x={xjp​} assigns to each player ppp a probability distribution xpx^pxp on SpS_pSp​; the players randomize independently, and for s∈S−ps\in S_{-p}s∈S−p​ we write xs=∏q≠pxsqqx_s=\prod_{q\ne p}x^q_{s_q}xs​=∏q=p​xsq​q​. The expected payoff of player ppp for playing the pure strategy jjj against the others is

Ujp=∑s∈S−pujsp xs,Umax⁡p=max⁡j∈SpUjp.\mathcal U^p_j=\sum_{s\in S_{-p}}u^p_{js}\,x_s,\qquad \mathcal U^p_{\max}=\max_{j\in S_p}\mathcal U^p_j .Ujp​=s∈S−p​∑​ujsp​xs​,Umaxp​=j∈Sp​max​Ujp​.
  • xxx is an ε-approximate Nash equilibrium if no player can gain more than ϵ\epsilonϵ by deviating to any mixed strategy ypy^pyp:
∑j∈SpUjp xjp ≥ ∑j∈SpUjp yjp−ϵfor all p and all mixed yp.\sum_{j\in S_p}\mathcal U^p_j\,x^p_j\ \ge\ \sum_{j\in S_p}\mathcal U^p_j\,y^p_j-\epsilon\quad\text{for all }p\text{ and all mixed }y^p .j∈Sp​∑​Ujp​xjp​ ≥ j∈Sp​∑​Ujp​yjp​−ϵfor all p and all mixed yp.
  • xxx is an ε-approximately well-supported Nash equilibrium if every strategy played with positive probability is within ϵ\epsilonϵ of the best:
Ujp>Uj′p+ϵ ⟹ xj′p=0for all p and j,j′∈Sp.\mathcal U^p_j>\mathcal U^p_{j'}+\epsilon\ \Longrightarrow\ x^p_{j'}=0\quad\text{for all }p\text{ and }j,j'\in S_p .Ujp​>Uj′p​+ϵ ⟹ xj′p​=0for all p and j,j′∈Sp​.

The trimmed profile x^\hat xx^ of xxx with parameter kkk deletes the strategies whose expected payoff is more than ϵk\epsilon kϵk below Umax⁡p\mathcal U^p_{\max}Umaxp​ and renormalizes:

zp=∑j∈Spxjp X{Ujp<Umax⁡p−ϵk},x^jp={xjp/(1−zp),Ujp≥Umax⁡p−ϵk,0,otherwise.z^p=\sum_{j\in S_p}x^p_j\,\mathcal X_{\{\mathcal U^p_j<\mathcal U^p_{\max}-\epsilon k\}},\qquad \hat x^p_j=\begin{cases}x^p_j/(1-z^p), & \mathcal U^p_j\ge\mathcal U^p_{\max}-\epsilon k,\\ 0, & \text{otherwise.}\end{cases}zp=j∈Sp​∑​xjp​X{Ujp​<Umaxp​−ϵk}​,x^jp​={xjp​/(1−zp),0,​Ujp​≥Umaxp​−ϵk,otherwise.​

In the Lean development these are purePayoff u x p j, maxPurePayoff u x p, maxPayoff u, IsEpsApproxNash u x ε, IsEpsWellSupportedNash u x ε, trimMass u x ε k p and trim u x ε k, all in the namespace DGPNash.WellSupported.

Formalization targets

Goal: Lemma 4.28

For ϵ>0\epsilon>0ϵ>0 and an ϵ\epsilonϵ-approximate Nash equilibrium xxx, the trimmed profile x^\hat xx^ with k=1+1/ϵk=1+1/\sqrt\epsilonk=1+1/ϵ​ is a mixed profile and a

ϵ⋅(ϵ+1+4(r−1)max⁡{u})-approximately well-supported Nash equilibrium.\sqrt\epsilon\cdot\bigl(\sqrt\epsilon+1+4(r-1)\max\{u\}\bigr)\text{-approximately well-supported Nash equilibrium.}ϵ​⋅(ϵ​+1+4(r−1)max{u})-approximately well-supported Nash equilibrium.

The constant is the paper's. The statement is about the specific profile x^\hat xx^ built from xxx, not about the existence of some well-supported equilibrium.

Milestones, in proof order

  • Eq. (28): ∑jUjpxjp≥Umax⁡p−ϵ\sum_j\mathcal U^p_j x^p_j\ge\mathcal U^p_{\max}-\epsilon∑j​Ujp​xjp​≥Umaxp​−ϵ for every player ppp.
  • Claim 5: for every k>0k>0k>0, zp≤1/kz^p\le 1/kzp≤1/k.
  • Claim 6: for every k>1k>1k>1, ∑j∈Sp∣xjp−x^jp∣≤2/(k−1)\sum_{j\in S_p}|x^p_j-\hat x^p_j|\le 2/(k-1)∑j∈Sp​​∣xjp​−x^jp​∣≤2/(k−1).
  • Lemma 4.26 (Lemma 4.29): for mixed profiles x,yx,yx,y,
∣∑s∈S−pujspxs−∑s∈S−pujspys∣≤max⁡s∈S−p{ujsp}∑q≠p∑i∈Sq∣xiq−yiq∣.\Bigl|\sum_{s\in S_{-p}}u^p_{js}x_s-\sum_{s\in S_{-p}}u^p_{js}y_s\Bigr|\le\max_{s\in S_{-p}}\{u^p_{js}\}\sum_{q\ne p}\sum_{i\in S_q}|x^q_i-y^q_i| .​s∈S−p​∑​ujsp​xs​−s∈S−p​∑​ujsp​ys​​≤s∈S−p​max​{ujsp​}q=p∑​i∈Sq​∑​∣xiq​−yiq​∣.

Significance

The result. Lemma 4.28 makes the two approximation notions polynomially equivalent for computation: every well-supported equilibrium is approximate with the same ϵ\epsilonϵ, and conversely an approximate equilibrium yields a well-supported one at accuracy O(ϵ)O(\sqrt\epsilon)O(ϵ​) for fixed rrr and payoff range. Hardness results proved for well-supported equilibria, including the PPAD-completeness of 3-player Nash in the paper and the two-player result of Chen, Deng and Teng, therefore apply to approximate equilibria as well, and algorithms for one notion give algorithms for the other. Lemma 4.26, the Lipschitz dependence of expected payoffs on the opponents' strategies in L1L_1L1​, is a general tool for perturbation and rounding arguments in finite games.

Formalizing it. The result is proved in the paper; as far as we know there is no machine-checked version, and the platform has neither approximation notion. The mission produces both definitions, on top of the published game vocabulary agt_games, and the quantitative chain from an approximate equilibrium to a well-supported one. These definitions are what any later formalization of approximate-equilibrium algorithms or hardness results would need.

Difficulty

The obvious attempt, to show that xxx itself is approximately well-supported, fails: an approximate equilibrium may put small positive probability on a strategy that is far from optimal, which a well-supported equilibrium forbids for any accuracy. Removing those strategies changes the opponents' expected payoffs, so the well-supported condition must be checked for U^\hat{\mathcal U}U^, computed from x^\hat xx^, not for U\mathcal UU. The accuracy of the result therefore depends on how far all r−1r-1r−1 opponents' strategies move, which is why the bound carries the factor (r−1)max⁡{u}(r-1)\max\{u\}(r−1)max{u}. Lemma 4.26 is a statement about product distributions: the change in a multilinear expected payoff is controlled by the sum of the per-player L1L_1L1​ distances, not by their product.

Formalization scope

  • Players form a finite type ι with decidable equality; player p has a finite strategy type S p; payoffs are u : ι → (∀ i, S i) → ℝ with the standing hypothesis ∀ p s, 0 ≤ u p s of §2.1. The number of players is r=r=r= Fintype.card ι, and 2 ≤ Fintype.card ι is assumed in every statement, as in §2.1. Strategy sets may differ between players.
  • Mixed profiles and lotteries are AGT.IsMixedProfile and AGT.IsLottery from agt_games; both equilibrium notions include the requirement that the profile be mixed. Ujp\mathcal U^p_jUjp​ is AGT.expectedPayoff after player ppp alone switches to the pure strategy jjj, and the approximate-Nash condition compares AGT.expectedPayoff before and after player ppp alone switches to a lottery yyy, which is the paper's inequality (27).
  • Umax⁡p\mathcal U^p_{\max}Umaxp​ and max⁡{u}\max\{u\}max{u} are suprema over finite types; they are the maxima, since a mixed profile forces each SpS_pSp​ to be nonempty. In Lemma 4.26 the maximum over s∈S−ps\in S_{-p}s∈S−p​ is the supremum of upu^pup over full profiles whose ppp-th coordinate is jjj.
  • The strict and non-strict inequalities are the paper's: the trim keeps Ujp≥Umax⁡p−ϵk\mathcal U^p_j\ge\mathcal U^p_{\max}-\epsilon kUjp​≥Umaxp​−ϵk, zpz^pzp counts Ujp<Umax⁡p−ϵk\mathcal U^p_j<\mathcal U^p_{\max}-\epsilon kUjp​<Umaxp​−ϵk, and the well-supported condition uses >>>. The goal assumes ϵ>0\epsilon>0ϵ>0, as the paper's 1/ϵ1/\sqrt\epsilon1/ϵ​ requires; Claim 5 is stated for k>0k>0k>0 and Claim 6 for k>1k>1k>1.
  • The clause "can be computed in polynomial time" of Lemma 4.28 is not formalized; the goal states the property of the profile the proof computes. A complexity statement would need the PPAD machinery, which is outside this series.
  • A trivializing formalization is ruled out: by Nash's theorem (on the platform as AGT.nash_existence) a δ-well-supported equilibrium exists for every δ ≥ 0, so the goal is stated for x^\hat xx^, defined from xxx, and not as an existence claim.

Contributions welcome: proofs of the milestones, in particular the decomposition ∑sxsusp=∑jxjp Ujp\sum_s x_s u^p_s=\sum_j x^p_j\,\mathcal U^p_j∑s​xs​usp​=∑j​xjp​Ujp​ of the expected payoff, which Eq. (28) and the goal both need, and Lemma 4.26, which is reusable in any perturbation argument for finite games.

Selected references

  • C. Daskalakis, P. W. Goldberg, C. H. Papadimitriou, The Complexity of Computing a Nash Equilibrium, SIAM Journal on Computing 39(1):195–259, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1137/070699652
  • X. Chen, X. Deng, S.-H. Teng, Computing Nash Equilibria: Approximation and Smoothed Complexity, FOCS 2006. https://arxiv.org/abs/cs/0602043
  • X. Chen, X. Deng, S.-H. Teng, Settling the Complexity of Computing Two-Player Nash Equilibria, Journal of the ACM 56(3), 2009. https://doi.org/10.1145/1516512.1516516
  • J. Nash, Non-Cooperative Games, Annals of Mathematics 54(2):286–295, 1951. https://doi.org/10.2307/1969529
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Algorithmic Game TheoryOperations Research·Captain: mikedeng1

The Complexity of Computing a Nash Equilibrium 1: Approximate Fixed Points of Nash's Map Are Approximate Nash EquilibriaResearch Paper

Motivation

A finite game describes several decision makers whose payoffs depend on everyone's choices. A Nash equilibrium is a collection of choices at which no single player can improve their expected payoff by changing strategy alone. Equilibrium existence is a classical result, but a computational argument needs to connect an object that can be approximated numerically to a strategically meaningful outcome. Daskalakis, Goldberg and Papadimitriou make that connection using Nash's map on mixed-strategy profiles in their study of equilibrium computation (Daskalakis, Goldberg and Papadimitriou 2009, §3.2). This mission isolates their quantitative connection: a profile close to a fixed point of that particular map is close to a Nash equilibrium, with the paper's explicit error bound.

The result is a known lemma from the published paper, not an open conjecture. It belongs to the paper's route from finite games to approximate equilibrium computation. The present mission treats the analytic statements about the map and finite payoffs; it does not state the paper's PPAD completeness theorem or encode computational reductions.

Setting

A normal-form game has r≥2r\ge2r≥2 players. In the Nash-map section each player has the same nonempty set [n][n][n] of nnn pure strategies. A pure profile sss chooses one strategy for each player, and player ppp receives a nonnegative real payoff uspu^p_susp​. The largest entry among all these payoff tables is Umax⁡U_{\max}Umax​. A mixed profile xxx assigns each player ppp probabilities xjp≥0x^p_j\ge0xjp​≥0 that sum to one over j∈[n]j\in[n]j∈[n]; different players randomize independently. The expected payoff when everyone uses xxx is Up(x)U^p(x)Up(x). If player ppp instead uses the pure strategy jjj while the others keep their mixed strategies, the expected payoff is Ujp(x)U^p_j(x)Ujp​(x).

Write Bjp(x)=max⁡{0,Ujp(x)−Up(x)}B^p_j(x)=\max\{0,U^p_j(x)-U^p(x)\}Bjp​(x)=max{0,Ujp​(x)−Up(x)} for the positive part of this unilateral payoff gain. Nash's map fff assigns to each coordinate of a mixed profile the normalized value

f(x)jp=xjp+Bjp(x)1+∑k∈[n]Bkp(x).f(x)^p_j=\frac{x^p_j+B^p_j(x)}{1+\sum_{k\in[n]}B^p_k(x)}.f(x)jp​=1+∑k∈[n]​Bkp​(x)xjp​+Bjp​(x)​.

The numerator raises the weight of a strategy whose pure payoff exceeds the current expected payoff. The common denominator ensures that the new weights for a player sum to one. These are exactly the quantities and normalization displayed on page 205 of the paper (Daskalakis, Goldberg and Papadimitriou 2009).

An ε\varepsilonε-approximate Nash equilibrium here means a mixed profile at which no player can increase expected payoff by more than ε\varepsilonε through any mixed-strategy deviation. This is the alternative approximation notion identified on page 199 and written as Eq. (27) on page 243. It is weaker than the paper's ε\varepsilonε-approximately well-supported condition; the two notions must remain distinct.

Formalization targets

The goal is Lemma 3.8 (p. 207). For any mixed profile xxx with ∥f(x)−x∥∞≤ε′\|f(x)-x\|_\infty\le\varepsilon'∥f(x)−x∥∞​≤ε′, where ε′≥0\varepsilon'\ge0ε′≥0, its approximate-equilibrium error is bounded by the paper's exact quantity:

εNash=nε′(1+nUmax⁡)(1+ε′(1+nUmax⁡))max⁡{Umax⁡,1}.\varepsilon_{\mathrm{Nash}}= n\sqrt{\varepsilon'(1+nU_{\max})} \left(1+\sqrt{\varepsilon'(1+nU_{\max})}\right) \max\{U_{\max},1\}.εNash​=nε′(1+nUmax​)​(1+ε′(1+nUmax​)​)max{Umax​,1}.

No numerical constant is left free or replaced by an unspecified asymptotic bound. The goal is universal over games and profiles satisfying the stated conditions; it does not merely assert the existence of one favorable profile.

The milestone list also includes Lemma 3.5, bounding the variation of a pure-strategy payoff when opponents change their distributions; Lemma 3.6, an inequality for normalized nonnegative sums; and Lemma 3.4, the explicit Lipschitz bound

∥f(x)−f(x′)∥∞≤[1+2Umax⁡rn(n+1)] δwhen∥x−x′∥∞≤δ.\|f(x)-f(x')\|_\infty\le[1+2U_{\max}rn(n+1)]\,\delta \quad\text{when}\quad \|x-x'\|_\infty\le\delta.∥f(x)−f(x′)∥∞​≤[1+2Umax​rn(n+1)]δwhen∥x−x′∥∞​≤δ.

Equation (3) on page 208 is a further milestone: it bounds each coordinate's share of the total positive gain under approximate fixedness. Lemma 3.4 has a separate role in the paper's grid analysis; it is not claimed as a prerequisite of Lemma 3.8.

Significance

The goal gives a quantitative translation between two kinds of approximation. An error measured in the coordinates of a fixed-point map becomes an upper bound on a player's incentive to deviate. The dependence on nnn, Umax⁡U_{\max}Umax​ and ε′\varepsilon'ε′ matters because the later computational construction chooses its grid scale using an explicit threshold, not simply a convergence claim. Lemma 3.4 provides the separate sensitivity estimate for that map, also with its exact constant (Daskalakis, Goldberg and Papadimitriou 2009, pp. 205–207).

Formalizing these known statements supplies a reusable bridge between finite-game payoffs, mixed profiles and a concrete fixed-point map. The shared finite-game representation already exists in the published agt_games definition bundle. What remains here is a machine-checked proof of each quantitative statement and of the payoff identities needed to relate pure and mixed deviations. The local Lean statements compile as open theorem targets; the mission does not claim that their proofs are already formalized.

Difficulty

A coordinatewise small value of f(x)−xf(x)-xf(x)−x does not by itself bound the largest payoff advantage by the same number. The map normalizes by a sum of all positive advantages, and a strategy with a large advantage might have little probability under xxx. Conversely, controlling a player's current expected payoff requires information about the entire probability vector, including strategies that are worse than the current mix. The explicit square-root dependence in Lemma 3.8 captures this mismatch. A direct substitution of the fixed-point error for the equilibrium error would lose both the dimension and payoff-scale factors in the published bound.

Formalization scope

Lean represents players by Fin r, strategies by Fin n, payoffs by a real function on pure profiles, and mixed strategies by real-valued weight functions satisfying AGT.IsMixedProfile. The paper numbers players and strategies from one; Fin uses zero-based indices without changing the mathematical sets. AGT.expectedPayoff and AGT.profileProb implement the independent product distribution. Pure-strategy expected payoff is the same expectation after replacing just one player's lottery by a point mass. The maximum payoff is computed from the game's actual finite table; the statements require r≥2r\ge2r≥2 and n>0n>0n>0, so this maximum exists. Nonnegative payoff entries, the standing convention from §2.1, are hypotheses.

The formula for fff is defined on all real coordinate arrays, exactly as an algebraic expression. Every theorem about an equilibrium supplies mixed-profile membership. This explicit condition rules out interpreting Lemma 3.8 on arbitrary vectors, for which “approximate Nash equilibrium” has no strategic meaning and the paper's argument does not apply. The infinity norm is written as a bound for every player-strategy pair, avoiding any dependence on a chosen norm instance. All error parameters appearing in the statements are nonnegative, and the denominator of fff is positive on mixed profiles because each Bjp(x)B^p_j(x)Bjp​(x) is nonnegative.

The development needs finite products and sums, real inequalities, the game bundle, and elementary facts about lotteries and unilateral deviations. Results about how expectations vary under a changed product distribution are reusable for other finite-game formalizations. Contributions proving the milestone inequalities, the payoff identities, and the goal's exact bound are welcome.

Selected references

  • C. Daskalakis, P. W. Goldberg and C. H. Papadimitriou, The Complexity of Computing a Nash Equilibrium, SIAM Journal on Computing 39(1):195–259, 2009. DOI: 10.1137/070699652.
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Combinatorics·Captain: marwahaha

Block Sensitivity vs. Sensitivity: Reach 2.13Open Problem

Improve the separation exponent between block sensitivity and sensitivity of total Boolean functions. This mission targets α≥2.13\alpha\ge2.13α≥2.13; higher is better.

For every ε>0\varepsilon>0ε>0 and every integer S≥2S\ge2S≥2, the goal asks for a total Boolean function fff with s(f)≥Ss(f)\ge Ss(f)≥S and bs(f)≥s(f)2.13−εbs(f)\ge s(f)^{2.13-\varepsilon}bs(f)≥s(f)2.13−ε. The shared definition SensitivityCampaign.AchievesExponent expresses this requirement. This is an open proof target.

Using a finite certificate. Choose a total Boolean function fff, an input xxx, and integers A,B>1A,B>1A,B>1. Prove s(f)≤As(f)\le As(f)≤A, B≤bs(f,x)B\le bs(f,x)B≤bs(f,x), and A2.13≤BA^{2.13}\le BA2.13≤B, then apply SensitivityCampaign.finite_certificate. The shared theorem handles normalization and passage to arbitrarily large sensitivity. Direct proofs of the asymptotic goal are equally welcome. Use exact certified bounds; numerical estimates alone do not establish the target.

Background: OpenAI problem 132 and the campaign proposal.

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Combinatorics·Captain: yousofy

Block Sensitivity vs. Sensitivity: Reach 2.13032.13032.1303Open Problem

Comparing single-coordinate and block changes

Two natural ways to measure the local instability of a Boolean function can behave differently. One counts individual input bits whose flips change the answer. The other permits several bits to change together, provided the chosen groups are disjoint. Quantifying the largest possible gap is a question in the complexity of total Boolean functions, and the Block Sensitivity vs. Sensitivity campaign tracks concrete lower bounds on its separation exponent.

The task is to establish a specified asymptotic exponent using the campaign's shared definitions. A numerical score for an abstract recurrence is insufficient: the witnesses must be actual total Boolean functions, and the sensitivities must become arbitrarily large. This mission records one completed construction checkpoint and its exact mathematical scope. Earlier accepted results, the original OpenAI construction and the community's intermediate refinements provide the surrounding research history in the campaign references.

Boolean functions and sensitive blocks

A total Boolean function on nnn coordinates is a map f:{0,1}n→{0,1}f:\{0,1\}^n\to\{0,1\}f:{0,1}n→{0,1} defined at every binary input. At an input xxx, a coordinate is sensitive if flipping that bit changes the output. The sensitivity s(f,x)s(f,x)s(f,x) counts these coordinates, and s(f)s(f)s(f) is the maximum over all inputs.

A sensitive block at xxx is a nonempty subset of coordinates whose simultaneous flip changes the output. The block sensitivity bs(f,x)bs(f,x)bs(f,x) is the maximum size of a collection of pairwise disjoint sensitive blocks at that same input. The global value bs(f)bs(f)bs(f) maximizes this quantity over all inputs. Blocks in one witness share an input and must be disjoint as coordinate sets; their sizes need not agree. These conventions are exactly those in the shared foundation mission.

Formalization target

For every real ε>0\varepsilon>0ε>0 and every integer S≥2S\ge2S≥2, establish the existence of a dimension nnn and a total Boolean function fff such that

s(f)≥S,bs(f)≥s(f)2.1303−ε.s(f)\ge S,\qquad bs(f)\ge s(f)^{2.1303-\varepsilon}.s(f)≥S,bs(f)≥s(f)2.1303−ε.

The number 2.13032.13032.1303 is an exact finite decimal. The witnesses may depend on both ε\varepsilonε and SSS. This is the campaign proposition AchievesExponent⁡(2.1303)\operatorname{AchievesExponent}(2.1303)AchievesExponent(2.1303), and the main theorem instantiates its template literally.

A supporting finite-family theorem asserts that, for every natural number mmm, there is a finite total Boolean function with

s(fm)≤3418946681687790375032⋅50063687m,bs(fm,0)≥25260794820729601m.s(f_m)\le3418946681687790375032\cdot50063687^m,\qquad bs(f_m,0)\ge25260794820729601^m.s(fm​)≤3418946681687790375032⋅50063687m,bs(fm​,0)≥25260794820729601m.

The associated exact logarithmic quotient is approximately 2.130319939592.130319939592.13031993959. It is a lower bound supplied by this construction, rather than a determination of the optimal separation exponent. The fixed prefactor is independent of mmm, and the lower bound concerns explicit nonempty pairwise disjoint sensitive blocks at the all-zero input.

Consequences and verification status

Any fixed exponent strictly below 2.13032.13032.1303 gives a literal power separation along functions of unbounded sensitivity. Taking increasing thresholds SSS yields an infinite family whose sensitivities tend to infinity. The theorem does not assert a loss-free inequality at the displayed endpoint, an optimality result, or an improved universal upper bound.

The full construction, its actual Boolean functions and the exponent conversion have passed complete local Lean kernel checks with only the standard three axioms. The shared-labeling lemma is separately accepted and publicly Proved. The main theorem currently has a checked reduction on Prove2Me; the larger finite-family dependency still awaits server acceptance after combined submissions exceeded the300-second verification limit. This mission records the exact proved local statement while preserving that server-status distinction.

The reusable content includes the finite-family statement, the unchanged campaign finite-certificate interface, and the exact exponent conversion. Those interfaces permit later constructions to replace the finite witnesses without changing what the campaign's asymptotic goal means. Source attribution to the original OpenAI development, community contributors and Robin Kothari/Codex is retained in the published proof sources. The new contribution is credited to username yousofy with Codex.

Why the quantifiers matter

A high block-sensitivity value at one input does not by itself control maximum sensitivity over all inputs. Likewise, a finite example with a favorable ratio does not by itself state the required unbounded-sensitivity family. A valid contribution must account for both requirements. Checking only selected inputs, allowing overlapping blocks, or changing the shared complexity definitions would establish a different assertion.

A large part of the formal verification concerns this connection between finite construction data and actual Boolean functions. Exact integer comparisons also matter: rounded decimal scores and floating-point feasibility checks do not prove the target inequality. Independent source and numerical audits supplement the Lean kernel checks; the authoritative server status of each referenced theorem remains visible separately.

Formalization scope and reusable interfaces

The formalization uses Lean4.33.1 and Mathlib revision 0df444a360eaa60ab8c11dca51a86af692955474. Finite input coordinates are represented by Fin n, and Boolean outputs by Bool. The shared SensitivitySeparation definitions count single-bit changes and nonempty pairwise disjoint sensitive blocks. The shared SensitivityCampaign definition quantifies over arbitrary positive real exponent loss and integer sensitivity thresholds.

The published goal has no hypothesis assuming the desired construction, separation, or labeling. In particular, zero-dimensional or bounded-sensitivity examples cannot satisfy the threshold quantifier. Standard real powers are used for the final comparison, while construction certificates are checked using exact natural-number arithmetic. The shared finite-certificate theorems and supporting finite-family statements are included as reference items. Corrections to exposition, independently checked proofs of the same goal, reusable supporting lemmas and genuinely stronger constructions are welcome.

Selected references

  • Prove2Me community, Block Sensitivity vs. Sensitivity, collaborative campaign,2026. Campaign and shared definitions.
  • OpenAI, Sensitivity separation construction, Lean mathematical development. Original construction.
  • Robin Kothari and Codex, Separation exponent at least2.075, Prove2Me,2026. Accepted foundation and retained attribution.
  • yousofy with Codex, Shared local-lemma labelings: exponent2.1303, Prove2Me,2026. Main statement and proof submissions.
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Combinatorics·Captain: yousofy

Block Sensitivity vs. Sensitivity: Reach 2.13012.13012.1301Open Problem

Comparing single-coordinate and block changes

Two natural ways to measure the local instability of a Boolean function can behave differently. One counts individual input bits whose flips change the answer. The other permits several bits to change together, provided the chosen groups are disjoint. Quantifying the largest possible gap is a question in the complexity of total Boolean functions, and the Block Sensitivity vs. Sensitivity campaign tracks concrete lower bounds on its separation exponent.

The task is to establish a specified asymptotic exponent using the campaign's shared definitions. A numerical score for an abstract recurrence is insufficient: the witnesses must be actual total Boolean functions, and the sensitivities must become arbitrarily large. This mission records one completed construction checkpoint and its exact mathematical scope. Earlier accepted results, the original OpenAI construction and the community's intermediate refinements provide the surrounding research history in the campaign references.

Boolean functions and sensitive blocks

A total Boolean function on nnn coordinates is a map f:{0,1}n→{0,1}f:\{0,1\}^n\to\{0,1\}f:{0,1}n→{0,1} defined at every binary input. At an input xxx, a coordinate is sensitive if flipping that bit changes the output. The sensitivity s(f,x)s(f,x)s(f,x) counts these coordinates, and s(f)s(f)s(f) is the maximum over all inputs.

A sensitive block at xxx is a nonempty subset of coordinates whose simultaneous flip changes the output. The block sensitivity bs(f,x)bs(f,x)bs(f,x) is the maximum size of a collection of pairwise disjoint sensitive blocks at that same input. The global value bs(f)bs(f)bs(f) maximizes this quantity over all inputs. Blocks in one witness share an input and must be disjoint as coordinate sets; their sizes need not agree. These conventions are exactly those in the shared foundation mission.

Formalization target

For every real ε>0\varepsilon>0ε>0 and every integer S≥2S\ge2S≥2, establish the existence of a dimension nnn and a total Boolean function fff such that

s(f)≥S,bs(f)≥s(f)2.1301−ε.s(f)\ge S,\qquad bs(f)\ge s(f)^{2.1301-\varepsilon}.s(f)≥S,bs(f)≥s(f)2.1301−ε.

The number 2.13012.13012.1301 is an exact finite decimal. The witnesses may depend on both ε\varepsilonε and SSS. This is the campaign proposition AchievesExponent⁡(2.1301)\operatorname{AchievesExponent}(2.1301)AchievesExponent(2.1301), and the main theorem instantiates its template literally.

A supporting finite-family theorem asserts that, for every natural number mmm, there is a finite total Boolean function with

s(fm)≤32057676379612508934192581⋅7922m,bs(fm,0)≥201838849m.s(f_m)\le32057676379612508934192581\cdot7922^m,\qquad bs(f_m,0)\ge201838849^m.s(fm​)≤32057676379612508934192581⋅7922m,bs(fm​,0)≥201838849m.

The natural number mmm indexes distinct finite construction instances; it is not a dimension bound. The fixed prefactor does not depend on mmm. The associated exact logarithmic quotient is a lower bound supplied by this construction, rather than a determination of the optimal separation exponent.

Consequences and verification status

Any fixed exponent strictly below 2.13012.13012.1301 gives a literal power separation along functions of unbounded sensitivity. Taking increasing thresholds SSS yields an infinite family whose sensitivities tend to infinity. The theorem does not assert a loss-free inequality at the displayed endpoint, an optimality result, or an improved universal upper bound.

The main theorem and its reusable finite-family input have accepted proofs and public Proved status. The exact growth-rate lower bound log(201838849)/log(7922), approximately2.13012479519, is also separately accepted. These facts are recorded with source hashes and acceptance receipts in the accompanying proof package.

The reusable content includes the finite-family statement, the unchanged campaign finite-certificate interface, and the exact exponent conversion. Those interfaces permit later constructions to replace the finite witnesses without changing what the campaign's asymptotic goal means. Source attribution to the original OpenAI development, community contributors and Robin Kothari/Codex is retained in the published proof sources. The new contribution is credited to username yousofy with Codex.

Why the quantifiers matter

A high block-sensitivity value at one input does not by itself control maximum sensitivity over all inputs. Likewise, a finite example with a favorable ratio does not by itself state the required unbounded-sensitivity family. A valid contribution must account for both requirements. Checking only selected inputs, allowing overlapping blocks, or changing the shared complexity definitions would establish a different assertion.

A large part of the formal verification concerns this connection between finite construction data and actual Boolean functions. Exact integer comparisons also matter: rounded decimal scores and floating-point feasibility checks do not prove the target inequality. Independent source and numerical audits supplement the Lean kernel checks; the authoritative server status of each referenced theorem remains visible separately.

Formalization scope and reusable interfaces

The formalization uses Lean4.33.1 and Mathlib revision 0df444a360eaa60ab8c11dca51a86af692955474. Finite input coordinates are represented by Fin n, and Boolean outputs by Bool. The shared SensitivitySeparation definitions count single-bit changes and nonempty pairwise disjoint sensitive blocks. The shared SensitivityCampaign definition quantifies over arbitrary positive real exponent loss and integer sensitivity thresholds.

The published goal has no hypothesis assuming the desired construction, separation, or labeling. In particular, zero-dimensional or bounded-sensitivity examples cannot satisfy the threshold quantifier. Standard real powers are used for the final comparison, while construction certificates are checked using exact natural-number arithmetic. The shared finite-certificate theorems and supporting finite-family statements are included as reference items. Corrections to exposition, independently checked proofs of the same goal, reusable supporting lemmas and genuinely stronger constructions are welcome.

Selected references

  • Prove2Me community, Block Sensitivity vs. Sensitivity, collaborative campaign,2026. Campaign and shared definitions.
  • OpenAI, Sensitivity separation construction, Lean mathematical development. Original construction.
  • Robin Kothari and Codex, Separation exponent at least2.075, Prove2Me,2026. Accepted foundation and retained attribution.
  • yousofy with Codex, Coupled target and guard profiles: exponent2.1301, Prove2Me,2026. Main statement and proof submissions.
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Combinatorics·Captain: yousofy

Block Sensitivity vs. Sensitivity: Periodic exponent 2.1192.1192.119Open Problem

Motivation

A rule that assigns an output bit to every input string can respond differently to changing one bit and changing a group of bits. Sensitivity counts individual changes that affect an output. Block sensitivity permits disjoint groups of coordinates to change separately. Understanding the largest possible difference between these measures is a question about the dependence of Boolean functions on their inputs.

Hao Huang's 2019 theorem established a polynomial relation between sensitivity and polynomial degree, resolving the Sensitivity Conjecture. Determining the sharp quantitative relation between sensitivity and block sensitivity remained a separate problem. OpenAI's 2026 result disproved a universal quadratic bound for total Boolean functions. Subsequent accepted results include the 2.075 theorem by Robin Kothari and Codex and the accepted 2.085 certificate developed for yousofy with Codex. This mission records a stronger quantitative target, 2.119.

Setting

A total Boolean function is a map

f:{0,1}n⟶{0,1}f:\{0,1\}^n\longrightarrow\{0,1\}f:{0,1}n⟶{0,1}

that assigns an output to every length-nnn bit string. For an input xxx and a coordinate set BBB, let xBx^BxB denote the string obtained by reversing exactly the bits in BBB.

A coordinate iii is sensitive at xxx if f(x{i})≠f(x)f(x^{\{i\}})\ne f(x)f(x{i})=f(x). Write s(f,x)s(f,x)s(f,x) for the number of such coordinates, and define

s(f)=max⁡xs(f,x).s(f)=\max_x s(f,x).s(f)=xmax​s(f,x).

A sensitive block at xxx is a nonempty coordinate set BBB with f(xB)≠f(x)f(x^B)\ne f(x)f(xB)=f(x). Let bs(f,x)bs(f,x)bs(f,x) be the largest size of a family of pairwise disjoint sensitive blocks at the same input, and set

bs(f)=max⁡xbs(f,x).bs(f)=\max_x bs(f,x).bs(f)=xmax​bs(f,x).

Each member of a block family is flipped separately from the original input. The definitions use finite coordinate sets and finite families of blocks.

Formalization target

The main theorem is

AchievesExponent⁡(2.119),2.119=21191000.\operatorname{AchievesExponent}(2.119),\qquad 2.119=\frac{2119}{1000}.AchievesExponent(2.119),2.119=10002119​.

Explicitly, for every real ε>0\varepsilon>0ε>0 and every natural number S≥2S\ge2S≥2, there must exist a natural number nnn and a total Boolean function f:{0,1}n→{0,1}f:\{0,1\}^n\to\{0,1\}f:{0,1}n→{0,1} such that

s(f)≥S,bs(f)≥s(f)2.119−ε.s(f)\ge S,\qquad bs(f)\ge s(f)^{2.119-\varepsilon}.s(f)≥S,bs(f)≥s(f)2.119−ε.

The formal statement is SensitivityCampaign.AchievesExponent (2.119 : ℝ). Both nnn and fff may depend on ε\varepsilonε and SSS. The decimal denotes the exact rational number displayed above. The claim includes arbitrarily small positive exponent loss and arbitrarily large sensitivity; neither quantifier is optional.

In particular, the statement gives a fixed exponent 2.118 for functions of unbounded sensitivity, strictly above 2.1. The target is a specific checkpoint in the broader problem of determining the optimal separation exponent. It does not assert that the displayed endpoint is attained without exponent loss.

Significance and verification status

The target extends these earlier quantitative bounds and crosses the campaign's 2.10 checkpoint. It requires the separation to persist beyond every sensitivity threshold, so a favorable comparison confined to bounded sensitivity would not establish the result. It also leaves the exact optimal exponent unresolved.

The new contribution is a certified finite construction and formal proof within the existing nine-predicate framework. The proof retains the generic development and attribution from Kothari and Codex's accepted 2.075 contribution, including its credit to abhishekdpseok's accepted 2.0635 proof and the earlier OpenAI and community work. The new certificate and its assembly were developed for username yousofy with Codex.

The complete self-contained source has passed standalone compilation in Lean 4.33.1, with only the standard axioms propext, Classical.choice, and Quot.sound. Its numerical certificates and source correspondence have also undergone independent checks. Prove2Me accepted the complete proof on 20 October 2026, submission bb3251a4-f00f-4b06-962a-97be2de5db1b. The public theorem and proof record records its verification status. Further work can examine the proof, improve its reusable interfaces, or establish stronger bounds.

Difficulty

The sensitivity bound must hold at every input. A calculation only at an input supporting many sensitive blocks does not control this maximum. Likewise, a collection of output-changing coordinate sets provides the required block bound only when every set is nonempty and the sets are pairwise disjoint.

The asymptotic requirement creates a separate difficulty. Increasing the dimension alone does not force sensitivity to increase, because added coordinates may be ignored. A complete argument must provide witnesses above every prescribed sensitivity threshold. Finally, the exact rational exponent needs rigorous comparisons: an approximate numerical score alone does not prove the stated inequality.

Formalization scope

The shared Lean representation is f : (Fin n → Bool) → Bool, using the definitions in SensitivityCampaign and OAI.Paper320. Sensitivity is the finite supremum over all inputs. Block sensitivity takes the finite supremum over all block families at each input, assigning zero to any family that fails the disjointness, nonemptiness, or output-change conditions. The empty family is allowed.

The target imposes no normalization on fff or a distinguished input, and it includes no promise restricting the function's domain. Dimensions zero and constant functions are permitted by the underlying types, but cannot satisfy s(f)≥S≥2s(f)\ge S\ge2s(f)≥S≥2. Natural-number complexity measures are cast to real numbers before real exponentiation. Every positive ε\varepsilonε is included, even when 2.119−ε2.119-\varepsilon2.119−ε is nonpositive.

The complete source imports Mathlib and the unchanged campaign definition. Existing reusable infrastructure includes the complexity measures, coordinate reindexing results, and the finite-certificate interface. Independent verification, clearer reusable statements, and stronger certified bounds are welcome, while preserving totality, global sensitivity, and the unbounded-sensitivity requirement.

Selected references

  • Hao Huang, Induced subgraphs of hypercubes and a proof of the Sensitivity Conjecture, Annals of Mathematics 190(3), 949–955, 2019. DOI.
  • OpenAI, A superquadratic separation between sensitivity and block sensitivity, OpenAI Math Release preprint, September 2026. Manuscript; formalization scope.
  • Robin Kothari and Codex, Separation exponent at least 2.075, Prove2Me accepted proof, 2026. Theorem and proof record.
  • abhishekdpseok, Separation exponent at least 2.0635, Prove2Me accepted proof, 2026. Theorem and proof record.
  • yousofy with Codex, Separation exponent at least 2.085, Prove2Me accepted proof, 2026. Theorem and proof record.
  • yousofy with Codex, Separation exponent at least 2.119 from a periodic profile invariant, Prove2Me accepted proof, 2026. Theorem and verification record.
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Combinatorics·Captain: yousofy

Block Sensitivity vs. Sensitivity: Eight-layer exponent 2.0852.0852.085Open Problem

Motivation

A rule that assigns an output bit to every input string can react very differently to changing one bit and changing several bits together. Quantifying that difference is a basic question about Boolean functions in theoretical computer science. Sensitivity measures how many individual bit changes can affect one output; block sensitivity allows disjoint groups of bits to change separately. The question here is how far apart these two measures can grow.

Hao Huang's 2019 theorem established a polynomial relation between sensitivity and polynomial degree, resolving the Sensitivity Conjecture. The sharper question about the exponent remained. OpenAI's 2026 superquadratic separation ruled out a universal quadratic bound. The subsequent accepted exponent-2.075 contribution by Robin Kothari and Codex provides the established comparison point for this mission. The target is the stronger quantitative bound 2.085.

Setting

A total Boolean function is a map

f:{0,1}n⟶{0,1}f:\{0,1\}^n\longrightarrow\{0,1\}f:{0,1}n⟶{0,1}

that assigns an output to every length-nnn bit string. For an input xxx and a set BBB of coordinate positions, write xBx^BxB for the string obtained by reversing exactly the bits in BBB.

A coordinate iii is sensitive at xxx when f(x{i})≠f(x)f(x^{\{i\}})\ne f(x)f(x{i})=f(x). Write s(f,x)s(f,x)s(f,x) for the number of such coordinates and define

s(f)=max⁡xs(f,x).s(f)=\max_x s(f,x).s(f)=xmax​s(f,x).

A sensitive block at xxx is a nonempty coordinate set BBB with f(xB)≠f(x)f(x^B)\ne f(x)f(xB)=f(x). Define bs(f,x)bs(f,x)bs(f,x) as the largest size of a family of pairwise disjoint sensitive blocks at that same input, and set

bs(f)=max⁡xbs(f,x).bs(f)=\max_x bs(f,x).bs(f)=xmax​bs(f,x).

Each block is flipped separately from the original input. All functions and coordinate sets in these definitions are finite.

Formalization target

The main theorem is the campaign statement

AchievesExponent⁡(2.085),2.085=417200.\operatorname{AchievesExponent}(2.085),\qquad 2.085=\frac{417}{200}.AchievesExponent(2.085),2.085=200417​.

Its full meaning is

∀ε>0  ∀S∈N, S≥2  ⟹  ∃n∈N  ∃f:{0,1}n→{0,1},\forall\varepsilon>0\;\forall S\in\mathbb N,\ S\ge2\;\Longrightarrow\; \exists n\in\mathbb N\;\exists f:\{0,1\}^n\to\{0,1\},∀ε>0∀S∈N, S≥2⟹∃n∈N∃f:{0,1}n→{0,1}, s(f)≥Sandbs(f)≥s(f)2.085−ε.s(f)\ge S\quad\text{and}\quad bs(f)\ge s(f)^{2.085-\varepsilon}.s(f)≥Sandbs(f)≥s(f)2.085−ε.

The exact formal target and its proof status are recorded here. Both the dimension and the function may depend on ε\varepsilonε and SSS. The decimal denotes an exact rational number. The statement permits arbitrarily small positive exponent loss and explicitly requires arbitrarily large sensitivity. For example, choosing ε=0.001\varepsilon=0.001ε=0.001 gives exponent 2.084 at every requested sensitivity threshold. This is a concrete checkpoint within the broader problem of determining the optimal separation exponent.

Significance and current status

The target raises the established exponent bound from 2.075 to 2.085, with the quantifiers stated above. In particular, it supplies a fixed exponent strictly above 2.075 for a family whose sensitivities are unbounded. This distinction matters: a favorable comparison for one finite Boolean function, without an appropriate asymptotic conclusion, would not establish the target.

The new contribution is an eight-layer numerical certificate within the existing nine-predicate framework. Its foundation comes from Kothari and Codex's accepted 2.075 proof, which retains credit to abhishekdpseok's accepted 2.0635 development and the earlier OpenAI and community proofs.

The complete self-contained proof has compiled successfully in Lean 4.33.1. The certificate and its assembly have also passed independent checks. Prove2Me has accepted the complete proof, submission c6096517-61e7-4f51-bc68-c1521d61eb65, on 20 October 2026. The target record is the reference for subsequent verification status. The separate proof explanation supplies the construction details and exact arithmetic.

Difficulty

The sensitivity estimate must hold at every input. Checking only the input that supports many sensitive blocks leaves that requirement unresolved. Likewise, a collection of output-changing sets is insufficient unless its members are nonempty and pairwise disjoint.

The asymptotic quantifiers impose a further requirement: witnesses must exist beyond every sensitivity threshold. Merely increasing the dimension does not establish this, since a function can ignore added coordinates. Finally, the exact rational exponent requires rigorous arithmetic bounds; a numerical logarithm estimate alone does not prove the formal statement.

Formalization scope

The shared Lean representation uses f : (Fin n → Bool) → Bool and the definitions in SensitivityCampaign and OAI.Paper320. Sensitivity is the finite supremum over all inputs. Block sensitivity takes the finite supremum over all block families at each input, assigning zero to a family that fails the disjointness, nonemptiness, or output-change conditions. The empty family is allowed.

The target imposes no normalization on fff or on a distinguished input. Dimensions zero and constant functions are permitted by the underlying types, but cannot satisfy the required sensitivity threshold S≥2S\ge2S≥2. Real exponentiation is applied after casting the natural-number complexity measures to real numbers.

The development uses Mathlib and the unchanged campaign definitions. Reusable infrastructure includes the complexity-measure definitions and the finite-certificate interface. Independent verification, clearer reusable statements, and stronger rigorously certified bounds are welcome contributions. Any stronger target should preserve totality, global sensitivity, and the unbounded-sensitivity requirement.

Selected references

  • Hao Huang, Induced subgraphs of hypercubes and a proof of the Sensitivity Conjecture, Annals of Mathematics 190(3), 949–955, 2019. DOI.
  • OpenAI, A superquadratic separation between sensitivity and block sensitivity, OpenAI Math Release preprint, September 2026. Manuscript; formalization scope.
  • Robin Kothari and Codex, Separation exponent at least 2.075, Prove2Me accepted proof, 2026, submission 819ad4c6-aa25-48ca-82e9-c8df39c182c0. Theorem and proof record.
  • abhishekdpseok, Separation exponent at least 2.0635, Prove2Me accepted proof, 2026, submission f80a3f37-72fa-4d56-a094-3e4d351764f3. Theorem and proof record.
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Combinatorics·Captain: Robin Kothari

Block Sensitivity vs. Sensitivity: Reach 2.075Open Problem

The quantitative sensitivity question

Sensitivity and block sensitivity measure how a Boolean function responds to changes in its input. They are central examples of query complexity measures: an algorithm learns an unknown input by querying its individual coordinates, while these measures describe how many changes the function can detect at a single input. Understanding their relationship helps distinguish the complexity caused by individual coordinate changes from the complexity caused by changes to groups of coordinates.

The Block Sensitivity vs. Sensitivity campaign tracks the largest certified separation exponent. Its classical benchmark is a quadratic separation. OpenAI problem 132 supplied a superquadratic construction and a Lean formalization in 2026. Subsequent campaign entries reached 2.0391, 2.05, and 2.0635. This entry establishes the exact exponent 2.075=83/402.075=83/402.075=83/40 using the same definitions and quantifiers.

Boolean functions and sensitive changes

A total Boolean function assigns an output bit to every input of nnn bits:

f:{0,1}n⟶{0,1}.f:\{0,1\}^n\longrightarrow\{0,1\}.f:{0,1}n⟶{0,1}.

For an input xxx and a coordinate set DDD, let xDx^DxD denote the input obtained by flipping precisely the coordinates in DDD. The sensitivity at an input counts the individual coordinates whose flips change the output:

s(f,x)=∣{i:f(x{i})≠f(x)}∣.s(f,x)=\bigl|\{i:f(x^{\{i\}})\ne f(x)\}\bigr|.s(f,x)=​{i:f(x{i})=f(x)}​.

The block sensitivity at an input, denoted bs(f,x)bs(f,x)bs(f,x), is the largest number of pairwise disjoint nonempty coordinate sets D1,…,DkD_1,\ldots,D_kD1​,…,Dk​ such that flipping any one of them changes the output at xxx. The sets are tested separately, always starting from the same input. The corresponding global measures are

s(f)=max⁡xs(f,x),bs(f)=max⁡xbs(f,x).s(f)=\max_x s(f,x),\qquad bs(f)=\max_x bs(f,x).s(f)=xmax​s(f,x),bs(f)=xmax​bs(f,x).

The maxima range over all inputs, including inputs on which the output is zero and inputs on which it is one. No monotonicity, symmetry, or restriction on the number of variables is imposed.

Target: exponent at least 2.075

For every real ε>0\varepsilon>0ε>0 and every integer S≥2S\ge2S≥2, establish the existence of a dimension nnn and a total Boolean function fff with

s(f)≥S,bs(f)≥s(f)83/40−ε.s(f)\ge S,\qquad bs(f)\ge s(f)^{83/40-\varepsilon}.s(f)≥S,bs(f)≥s(f)83/40−ε.

The campaign predicate SensitivityCampaign.AchievesExponent (2.075 : ℝ) states this exact proposition. The decimal is interpreted exactly, as 83/4083/4083/40, rather than as an approximate floating-point value. The function and dimension may depend on both the exponent loss ε\varepsilonε and the requested threshold SSS.

The threshold quantifier is essential: the target concerns arbitrarily large sensitivity. A small isolated function, or a collection of functions whose sensitivity stays bounded, does not by itself establish the campaign statement. The use of an arbitrary positive exponent loss agrees with the campaign's other entries and allows their values to be compared directly.

What this entry establishes

This result increases the certified exponent beyond the campaign's 2.0635 entry. It provides an intermediate achieved bound toward the separate 2.10 research target. It does not assert that 2.10 has been reached or identify the optimal exponent.

The complete Lean proof has compiled successfully, passed local kernel replay, and been accepted by Prove2Me. The verified theorem and full proof establish the stated target. Its supporting development includes nine-predicate sensitivity estimates, bounds on joint changes of nested predicates, finite labeling existence, disjoint sensitive-block witnesses, and an exact integer certificate. The accompanying proof explanation describes how these ingredients establish the stated target. The finite-certificate and logarithmic-score theorems from the campaign foundation remain referenced as reusable milestones.

The difficulty in improving the bound

A construction must have many disjoint sensitive blocks at one input while keeping sensitivity small at every input. A large block family supplies only the lower-bound half of this requirement. An input that makes many individual coordinates sensitive can invalidate the global upper bound even if the intended block-witness input behaves well.

Joint boundary behavior is another constraint: analyzing several related predicates independently can lose information about which changes can occur together. The formal proof therefore needs correct sensitivity estimates for the actual input-coordinate flips throughout the construction. Numerical growth estimates must also account for every fixed overhead before they can certify a finite exponent inequality.

Formalization scope and reusable foundations

The function type is (Fin n → Bool) → Bool. Sensitivity and block sensitivity use the existing OAI.Paper320 definitions, imported through Definitions.Def_SensitivityCampaign. Both measures are natural numbers defined using maxima over finite collections. The exponent comparison casts them to real numbers and uses real exponentiation. Since every requested witness has sensitivity at least two, the base of that power is positive.

The mission retains the shared campaign definitions without modifications. The two foundation milestones are SensitivityCampaign.finite_certificate, which turns suitable finite sensitivity and block-sensitivity bounds into the asymptotic target, and SensitivityCampaign.finite_certificate_log, which expresses the same interface using a logarithmic score. Their normalization and unbounded-sensitivity conclusions are part of their proved statements.

The supplied proof targets Lean 4.33.1 and Mathlib revision 0df444a360eaa60ab8c11dca51a86af692955474. The supporting assertions are proved in the submitted source; no conjectural lemma or numerical approximation is used as an assumption. The general transfer estimates and exact certificate provide material for subsequent improvements, while this mission's goal remains the fixed campaign value 2.075.

Selected references and credits

  • OpenAI, A superquadratic separation between sensitivity and block sensitivity, problem 132, 2026. Formalization and source links.
  • Prove2Me contributors, Separation exponent at least 2.0391, 2026. Accepted theorem and proof.
  • Robin Kothari, Separation exponent at least 2.05, 2026. Accepted theorem and proof.
  • abhishekdpseok, Separation exponent at least 2.0635, 2026. Accepted theorem and proof, submission f80a3f37-72fa-4d56-a094-3e4d351764f3. The present development reuses its foundation, including its earlier source credits.
  • Robin Kothari and Codex, Seven-level nine-state sensitivity certificate: exponent 2.075, 19 October 2026. Full Lean proof and mathematical explanation supplied with this entry.
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Combinatorics·Captain: Abhishek Anand

Block Sensitivity vs. Sensitivity: Reach 2.0635Open Problem

Establish a separation exponent of at least 2.06352.06352.0635 between block sensitivity and sensitivity of total Boolean functions.

For every ε>0\varepsilon>0ε>0 and integer S≥2S\ge2S≥2, construct fff with s(f)≥Ss(f)\ge Ss(f)≥S and bs(f)≥s(f)2.0635−εbs(f)\ge s(f)^{2.0635-\varepsilon}bs(f)≥s(f)2.0635−ε.

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Combinatorics·Captain: @bwdaugherty

Block Sensitivity vs. Sensitivity: α ≥ 2.0391Open Problem

Improve the separation exponent between block sensitivity and sensitivity of total Boolean functions. This mission targets α≥2.0391\alpha\ge2.0391α≥2.0391; higher is better.

For every ε>0\varepsilon>0ε>0 and every integer S≥2S\ge2S≥2, the goal asks for a function fff with s(f)≥Ss(f)\ge Ss(f)≥S and bs(f)≥s(f)2.0391−εbs(f)\ge s(f)^{2.0391-\varepsilon}bs(f)≥s(f)2.0391−ε. The shared definition SensitivityCampaign.AchievesExponent expresses exactly this requirement.

Using a finite certificate. Choose a total Boolean function fff, an input xxx, and integers A,B>1A,B>1A,B>1. Prove s(f)≤As(f)\le As(f)≤A, B≤bs(f,x)B\le bs(f,x)B≤bs(f,x), and A2.0391≤BA^{2.0391}\le BA2.0391≤B, then apply SensitivityCampaign.finite_certificate. Here bs(f,x)bs(f,x)bs(f,x) means block sensitivity at the chosen input. The shared theorem handles normalization and passage to arbitrarily large sensitivity. Its proof is a foundation milestone; a proof depending on an open milestone remains conditional until that milestone is proved.

Direct proofs of the asymptotic goal are equally welcome. Keep the shared definitions, replace the target value, and give your theorem a unique name. Use exact certified bounds; numerical estimates alone do not establish a record.

Background: the campaign proposal.

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Combinatorics·Captain: Leo Shaposhnik

Block Sensitivity vs. Sensitivity: Reach 2.0205Open Problem

For every ε>0\varepsilon>0ε>0 and every integer S≥2S\ge2S≥2, there exists a total Boolean function fff with s(f)≥Ss(f)\ge Ss(f)≥S and bs(f)≥s(f)2.0205−εbs(f)\ge s(f)^{2.0205-\varepsilon}bs(f)≥s(f)2.0205−ε.

The construction refines the tournament recursion of OpenAI/math. It keeps all four sensitivity profiles, sharpens the target-row count to fifteen, and bounds the gate contribution by separating the cases with and without a sink.

At depth d=17d=17d=17, use tournament parameter M=1475863M=1475863M=1475863, label alphabet r=88r=88r=88, and K=1439236K=1439236K=1439236 disjoint OR copies. The proof obtains a finite seed and integers A,B>1A,B>1A,B>1 satisfying global sensitivity s(f)≤As(f)\le As(f)≤A, block sensitivity at zero bs(f,0)≥Bbs(f,0)\ge Bbs(f,0)≥B, and the exact integer comparison A4041<B2000A^{4041}<B^{2000}A4041<B2000. This implies A2.0205<BA^{2.0205}<BA2.0205<B; the shared finite-certificate theorem supplies arbitrarily large sensitivity and the campaign conclusion.

The shared campaign definitions are retained. The local proof was checked in Lean 4.33.1 with Mathlib 0df444a360eaa60ab8c11dca51a86af692955474. This draft targets a certified campaign improvement; no global optimality claim is made

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Combinatorics·Captain: marwahaha

Block Sensitivity vs. Sensitivity: OpenAI BaselineResearch Paper

Certify the separation exponent α≥2.000252407\alpha\ge2.000252407α≥2.000252407 using OpenAI's construction. Sensitivity s(f)s(f)s(f) counts individual bit flips that change the output; block sensitivity bs(f)bs(f)bs(f) counts disjoint sensitive blocks. Both are maximized over inputs. The notation bs(f,x)bs(f,x)bs(f,x) fixes one input, and 000 denotes the all-zero input.

The goal requires arbitrarily large sensitivity and bs(f)≥s(f)2.000252407−εbs(f)\ge s(f)^{2.000252407-\varepsilon}bs(f)≥s(f)2.000252407−ε for every ε>0\varepsilon>0ε>0. OpenAI's depth-nine seed, with M=910M=9^{10}M=910, supplies a slightly larger exponent; the displayed decimal must be certified exactly.

This mission is the campaign's foundation. Its central reusable milestone turns a finite certificate s(f)≤As(f)\le As(f)≤A, bs(f,x)≥Bbs(f,x)\ge Bbs(f,x)≥B, A,B>1A,B>1A,B>1, and Aa≤BA^a\le BAa≤B into the asymptotic claim at exponent a≥0a\ge0a≥0. Normalization and sensitivity growth are proof obligations. Later missions import this theorem and the shared definitions.

OpenAI's quantitative separation is already proved on Prove2Me. This mission certifies the numerical exponent and the reusable bridge; its goal remains Open until all required proofs are accepted.

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Theoretical Computer Science·Captain: avi

Fast Integer Multiplication on Multitape Turing Machines: Schönhage–Strassen and the ToolkitResearch Paper

Motivation

Every fast integer-multiplication algorithm in the literature is stated for the multitape Turing machine. The algorithms are built from a small set of standard subroutines whose costs are usually quoted as "well known":

  • linear-time addition;
  • sorting by merging on tapes;
  • fast matrix transposition;
  • a crude O(n1+δ)O(n^{1+\delta})O(n1+δ) multiplier, used for the small multiplications inside fixed-point arithmetic.

Harvey–van der Hoeven (2021) use all of these in §2.1, §2.3 and §4–§5 of their O(nlog⁡n)O(n\log n)O(nlogn) paper. They cite Brent–Zimmermann for the arithmetic, Knuth vol. 3 for merge sort, and Bostan–Gaudry–Schost for transposition.

This mission formalizes that toolkit in the shared machine model IntMul_MultitapeModel. Its goal is the classical Schönhage–Strassen bound M(n)=O(nlog⁡nlog⁡log⁡n)\mathsf M(n)=O(n\log n\log\log n)M(n)=O(nlognloglogn). The toolkit is exactly what is missing before the recursive step of the companion mission, Harvey–van der Hoeven Proposition 5.4, can be decomposed. Proposition 5.4 is the last open link on that mission's main line.

Timeline (multitape Turing model).

  • Folklore: schoolbook multiplication in O(n2)O(n^2)O(n2); addition in O(n)O(n)O(n).
  • 1962: Karatsuba–Ofman, O(nlog⁡23)O(n^{\log_2 3})O(nlog2​3).
  • 1963–1966: Toom and Cook, O(n1+ϵ)O(n^{1+\epsilon})O(n1+ϵ) for every ϵ>0\epsilon>0ϵ>0.
  • 1971: Schönhage–Strassen, O(nlog⁡nlog⁡log⁡n)O(n\log n\log\log n)O(nlognloglogn).
  • 1973 (2nd ed. 1998): Knuth, TAOCP vol. 3 §5.4, merge sorting on tapes.
  • 2007: Bostan–Gaudry–Schost, Appendix: transposing an m×km\times km×k matrix with NNN bits in total in O(Nlog⁡min⁡(m,k))O(N\log\min(m,k))O(Nlogmin(m,k)) on a multitape machine.
  • 2019/2021: Harvey–van der Hoeven, O(nlog⁡n)O(n\log n)O(nlogn), using all of the above.

Setting

The machine model, input and output conventions, and the time-bound predicate MulTimeBound\mathrm{MulTimeBound}MulTimeBound are those of IntMul_MultitapeModel. That model follows Montanaro's lecture notes:

  • k≥2k\ge2k≥2 one-way tapes, with a read-only input tape and a separate output tape;
  • ▹\triangleright▹ appears only in cell 000 of each tape;
  • START≠HALT\mathrm{START}\ne\mathrm{HALT}START=HALT, and the halting state freezes the configuration.

For subroutines whose input is not of the form x#yx\#yx#y, the new definitions file IntMul_MultitapeWords starts the machine on an arbitrary word over {0,1,#}\{0,1,\#\}{0,1,#}. It also provides the encodings

  • bits(x)\mathrm{bits}(x)bits(x), a bit string written as a word;
  • u1#u2#⋯#umu_1\#u_2\#\cdots\#u_mu1​#u2​#⋯#um​, a list of words joined by separators.

Formalization targets

Goal: Schönhage–Strassen

MulTimeBound(n↦nln⁡nln⁡ln⁡n)\mathrm{MulTimeBound}(n\mapsto n\ln n\ln\ln n)MulTimeBound(n↦nlnnlnlnn): a single multitape machine multiplies nnn-bit integers for every n≥1n\ge1n≥1 in worst-case time O(nlog⁡nlog⁡log⁡n)O(n\log n\log\log n)O(nlognloglogn).

Milestones

  1. Schoolbook multiplication: MulTimeBound(n2)\mathrm{MulTimeBound}(n^2)MulTimeBound(n2).
  2. Karatsuba–Ofman: MulTimeBound(nlog⁡23)\mathrm{MulTimeBound}(n^{\log_2 3})MulTimeBound(nlog2​3).
  3. Linear-time addition: on input x#yx\#yx#y with ∣x∣=∣y∣=n|x|=|y|=n∣x∣=∣y∣=n, output bin⁡n+1(val⁡x+val⁡y)\operatorname{bin}_{n+1}(\operatorname{val}x+\operatorname{val}y)binn+1​(valx+valy) within c(n+1)c(n+1)c(n+1) steps.
  4. Merge sort on tapes:
    • Input: mmm records, each a key of ℓ\ellℓ bits and a payload of qqq bits, written as k1#p1#k2#p2#⋯k_1\#p_1\#k_2\#p_2\#\cdotsk1​#p1​#k2​#p2​#⋯.
    • Output: the records stably sorted by key value, in the same format.
    • Time: c (N+1)(⌈log⁡2m⌉+1)c\,(N+1)(\lceil\log_2 m\rceil+1)c(N+1)(⌈log2​m⌉+1), where NNN is the input length.
  5. Matrix transposition:
    • Input: an m×km\times km×k matrix (m,k≥1m,k\ge1m,k≥1) with entries of ℓ≥1\ell\ge1ℓ≥1 bits, in row-major order. Entries are separated by #\## and rows by ##\#\###.
    • Output: the transpose, in the same format.
    • Time: c (N+1)(⌈log⁡2min⁡(m,k)⌉+1)c\,(N+1)(\lceil\log_2\min(m,k)\rceil+1)c(N+1)(⌈log2​min(m,k)⌉+1).

Formalization scope

Constants may depend only on the machine. All time bounds count exact steps of one fixed machine in the shared model. Building machines by composing smaller ones (subroutine calls, scratch tapes, recursion) is the solvers' business; any reusable infrastructure for it is welcome as published lemmas.

Selected references

  • A. Schönhage, V. Strassen, Schnelle Multiplikation großer Zahlen, Computing 7 (1971), 281–292.
  • A. Karatsuba, Yu. Ofman, Multiplication of multidigit numbers on automata, Soviet Physics Doklady 7 (1963), 595–596.
  • D. E. Knuth, The Art of Computer Programming, Vol. 3: Sorting and Searching, 2nd ed., Addison-Wesley, 1998, §5.4.
  • A. Bostan, P. Gaudry, É. Schost, Linear recurrences with polynomial coefficients and application to integer factorization and Cartier–Manin operator, SIAM J. Comput. 36 (2007), 1777–1806, Appendix.
  • R. P. Brent, P. Zimmermann, Modern Computer Arithmetic, Cambridge University Press, 2011, Ch. 1.
  • D. Harvey, J. van der Hoeven, Integer multiplication in time O(nlog⁡n)O(n\log n)O(nlogn), Ann. of Math. 193 (2021), §2.1.
  • A. Montanaro, Computational Complexity, lecture notes, §3–§4.
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Algorithmic Game Theory·Captain: mikedeng1

Settling the Complexity of Computing Approximate Two-Player Nash Equilibria: An (ε, δ)-WeakNash of a Bipartite Polymatrix Game Yields a (√ε(√ε + 5), δ)-Well-Supported WeakNashResearch Paper

Motivation

Computing an approximate Nash equilibrium of a two-player game is one of the central questions of algorithmic game theory. For a constant approximation ϵ\epsilonϵ, the algorithm of Lipton, Markakis and Mehta runs in quasi-polynomial time nO(log⁡n/ϵ2)n^{O(\log n/\epsilon^2)}nO(logn/ϵ2), and for a long time it was unknown whether polynomial time is possible. A. Rubinstein, Settling the Complexity of Computing Approximate Two-Player Nash Equilibria (FOCS 2016, arXiv:1606.04550), proved that, assuming an exponential-time hypothesis for PPAD, quasi-polynomial time is also necessary.

The proof is a chain of reductions. Its middle links produce multiplayer games in which only most players are approximately best-responding (the WeakNash notions of Babichenko, Papadimitriou and Rubinstein, Can Almost Everybody be Almost Happy?, ITCS 2016). Its last link turns a bipartite multiplayer game into a two-player game. Section 8.1 of the paper sits between the two: it shows that the weaker mixed-response notion of WeakNash can be converted into the stronger support-based notion, with a loss of only a square root in the approximation. This mission formalizes that step, Lemma 8.1, together with the intermediate claims of its proof.

Timeline. Daskalakis, Goldberg and Papadimitriou (SIAM J. Comput. 2009, doi:10.1137/070699652) introduced the trimming argument (their Lemma 4.28 and Claim 6) for exact-all-players ϵ\epsilonϵ-approximate equilibria of general games. Babichenko–Papadimitriou–Rubinstein (2016) introduced (ϵ,δ)(\epsilon,\delta)(ϵ,δ)-WeakNash. Rubinstein (2016) adapted the trimming argument to WeakNash of bipartite polymatrix games, where the constant no longer grows with the number of players.

Setting

A finite game has a finite set of players I\mathcal II, a finite action set SvS^vSv for each player vvv, and utilities uvu_vuv​ on action profiles. A mixed strategy xvx^vxv is a probability vector on SvS^vSv; a mixed profile x=(xv)vx=(x^v)_vx=(xv)v​ is one mixed strategy per player, drawn independently. For an action s∈Svs\in S^vs∈Sv, Usv(x−v)U^v_s(x^{-v})Usv​(x−v) is the expected utility of vvv when vvv plays sss and the others play x−vx^{-v}x−v, and Umax⁡v(x−v)=max⁡sUsv(x−v)U^v_{\max}(x^{-v})=\max_{s}U^v_s(x^{-v})Umaxv​(x−v)=maxs​Usv​(x−v).

  • xvx^vxv is an ϵ\epsilonϵ-best mixed response if Ea∼x[uv(a)]≥max⁡y∈ΔSvEa∼(y;x−v)[uv(a)]−ϵ\mathbb E_{a\sim x}[u_v(a)]\ge\max_{y\in\Delta S^v}\mathbb E_{a\sim(y;x^{-v})}[u_v(a)]-\epsilonEa∼x​[uv​(a)]≥maxy∈ΔSv​Ea∼(y;x−v)​[uv​(a)]−ϵ.
  • xxx is an (ϵ,δ)(\epsilon,\delta)(ϵ,δ)-WeakNash if at least a (1−δ)(1-\delta)(1−δ)-fraction of all players play an ϵ\epsilonϵ-best mixed response.
  • xxx is an (ϵ,δ)(\epsilon,\delta)(ϵ,δ)-Well-Supported WeakNash if, for at least a (1−δ)(1-\delta)(1−δ)-fraction of all players vvv, every action in the support of xvx^vxv satisfies Usv(x−v)≥Umax⁡v(x−v)−ϵU^v_s(x^{-v})\ge U^v_{\max}(x^{-v})-\epsilonUsv​(x−v)≥Umaxv​(x−v)−ϵ.

A polymatrix game is one in which each pair of players plays a two-player subgame, each player uses one action in all of its subgames, and its utility is the sum of its subgame payoffs. In a complete bipartite polymatrix game the players form two sides VAV_AVA​, VBV_BVB​ with nA=∣VA∣n_A=|V_A|nA​=∣VA​∣, nB=∣VB∣n_B=|V_B|nB​=∣VB​∣; every v∈VAv\in V_Av∈VA​ plays a bimatrix subgame Uv,wU^{v,w}Uv,w against every w∈VBw\in V_Bw∈VB​, and same-side pairs play nothing. Lemma 8.1 assumes the payoffs of VAV_AVA​-vertices lie in [0,1/nB][0,1/n_B][0,1/nB​] and those of VBV_BVB​-vertices in [0,1/nA][0,1/n_A][0,1/nA​], so every utility lies in [0,1][0,1][0,1].

The trimmed profile x^\hat xx^ with parameter kkk: every player vvv that plays ϵ\epsilonϵ-optimally in xxx drops the actions with Usv(x−v)<Umax⁡v(x−v)−ϵkU^v_s(x^{-v})<U^v_{\max}(x^{-v})-\epsilon kUsv​(x−v)<Umaxv​(x−v)−ϵk, whose total mass is zvz^vzv, and renormalises, x^sv=xsv/(1−zv)\hat x^v_s=x^v_s/(1-z^v)x^sv​=xsv​/(1−zv) on the kept actions; every other player keeps xvx^vxv.

Formalization targets

Goal: Lemma 8.1

For a complete bipartite polymatrix game with the payoff ranges above, ϵ>0\epsilon>0ϵ>0, and an (ϵ,δ)(\epsilon,\delta)(ϵ,δ)-WeakNash xxx, the trimmed profile with k=1+1/ϵk=1+1/\sqrt\epsilonk=1+1/ϵ​ satisfies

x^ is a (ϵ (ϵ+5), δ)-Well-Supported WeakNash.\hat x\ \text{is a}\ \bigl(\sqrt\epsilon\,(\sqrt\epsilon+5),\ \delta\bigr)\text{-Well-Supported WeakNash}.x^ is a (ϵ​(ϵ​+5), δ)-Well-Supported WeakNash.

Milestones (proof of Lemma 8.1)

  1. For k>1k>1k>1 and an ϵ\epsilonϵ-optimal player vvv: zv≤1/k<1z^v\le 1/k<1zv≤1/k<1.
  2. Claim 8.2: ∑s∣x^sv−xsv∣≤2/(k−1)\sum_{s}|\hat x^v_s-x^v_s|\le 2/(k-1)∑s​∣x^sv​−xsv​∣≤2/(k−1) for every player vvv.
  3. For every vertex vvv and action sss: ∣Usv(x−v)−Usv(x^−v)∣≤2/(k−1)|U^v_s(x^{-v})-U^v_s(\hat x^{-v})|\le 2/(k-1)∣Usv​(x−v)−Usv​(x^−v)∣≤2/(k−1).
  4. For every k>1k>1k>1: x^\hat xx^ is a (kϵ+2k−1,δ)\bigl(k\epsilon+\tfrac{2}{k-1},\delta\bigr)(kϵ+k−12​,δ)-Well-Supported WeakNash.

Significance

The result. Lemma 8.1 is the link that allows the hardness of WeakNash, the notion the PPAD-hardness argument naturally produces, to be transferred to the support-based notion used by the two-player reduction of Section 8.2 (Lemma 8.3, via Althöfer's games). The polynomial loss ϵ↦O(ϵ)\epsilon\mapsto O(\sqrt\epsilon)ϵ↦O(ϵ​) and the unchanged δ\deltaδ are what keep the final constant approximation constant. The same trimming technique, with constants that do not depend on the number of players, applies to any polymatrix game with normalised payoffs.

Formalizing it. The result is proved on paper; it is not formalized anywhere. The published platform items DGPNash.WellSupported.* formalize the Daskalakis–Goldberg–Papadimitriou version, which assumes every player is ϵ\epsilonϵ-optimal and has a constant growing with the number of players; this mission produces the WeakNash and polymatrix version and a reusable vocabulary of WeakNash notions (Definitions 2.5–2.9) for the rest of the paper.

Difficulty

The obvious argument applies the trimming of Daskalakis–Goldberg–Papadimitriou to every player, and it fails in two places. First, only a (1−δ)(1-\delta)(1−δ)-fraction of players are ϵ\epsilonϵ-optimal; for the others the trimmed mass zvz^vzv can equal 111, so the renormalisation is undefined and those players cannot be trimmed, while their neighbours' payoffs still depend on them. Second, the general bound on how much a payoff moves when the other players' strategies move grows with the number of players, which would make the final constant depend on nAn_AnA​ and nBn_BnB​; Lemma 8.1 has no such dependence, and the payoff normalisation [0,1/nB][0,1/n_B][0,1/nB​], [0,1/nA][0,1/n_A][0,1/nA​] is what must absorb it. The constant 2/(k−1)2/(k-1)2/(k−1) of milestone 4 is tight enough that the page's own displayed chain, which ends at 4/(k−1)4/(k-1)4/(k−1), does not reach it directly.

Formalization scope

  • Players are the disjoint union VA ⊕ VB; action sets are finite types S i; subgame payoffs are PA v w (for v∈VAv\in V_Av∈VA​ against w∈VBw\in V_Bw∈VB​) and PB w v. The general polymatrix payoff (Definition 2.9) sums over j≠ij\ne ij=i; the bipartite instance sets same-side subgames to zero.
  • Mixed profiles, lotteries and expected payoffs are those of the published agt_games bundle. UsvU^v_sUsv​ is DGPNash.NashMap.purePayoff; Umax⁡vU^v_{\max}Umaxv​, zvz^vzv and the trim formula are maxPurePayoff, trimMass, trim of DGPNash_WellSupported_Equilibria.
  • The "(1−δ)(1-\delta)(1−δ)-fraction of iii's" is (1−δ) ∣I∣≤#{i:…}(1-\delta)\,|\mathcal I|\le\#\{i:\ldots\}(1−δ)∣I∣≤#{i:…}, over all players of both sides. The support of xvx^vxv is {s:xsv>0}\{s: x^v_s>0\}{s:xsv​>0}. Maxima over strategies are written as "for every lottery / every action".
  • Added hypotheses: ϵ>0\epsilon>0ϵ>0 (needed for k=1+1/ϵk=1+1/\sqrt\epsilonk=1+1/ϵ​); k>1k>1k>1 in every general-kkk milestone (the page's "for k>1k>1k>1").
  • Conventions: players that are not ϵ\epsilonϵ-optimal keep xvx^vxv in x^\hat xx^, since the page defines x^v\hat x^vx^v only for the ϵ\epsilonϵ-optimal ones. "Bounded away from 1" is stated as zv≤1/kz^v\le 1/kzv≤1/k. "In polynomial time" is not formalized.
  • Milestones 1 and 2 use no polymatrix structure and are stated for arbitrary finite games.

The bare existence of some (ϵ(ϵ+5),δ)(\sqrt\epsilon(\sqrt\epsilon+5),\delta)(ϵ​(ϵ​+5),δ)-Well-Supported WeakNash is a consequence of Nash's theorem and does not use xxx; the goal therefore names the specific trimmed profile x^\hat xx^ computed from xxx.

Contributions welcome: proofs of the milestones; general lemmas expressing UsvU^v_sUsv​ of a polymatrix game as a bilinear sum and the multilinearity of expected payoffs, which are reusable for the rest of the paper.

Selected references

  • A. Rubinstein, Settling the Complexity of Computing Approximate Two-Player Nash Equilibria, FOCS 2016; arXiv:1606.04550 (version dated August 26, 2016). https://arxiv.org/abs/1606.04550
  • C. Daskalakis, P. W. Goldberg, C. H. Papadimitriou, The Complexity of Computing a Nash Equilibrium, SIAM J. Comput. 39(1):195–259, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1137/070699652
  • Y. Babichenko, C. H. Papadimitriou, A. Rubinstein, Can Almost Everybody be Almost Happy?, Proc. ITCS 2016, pp. 1–9.
  • R. J. Lipton, E. Markakis, A. Mehta, Playing Large Games Using Simple Strategies, EC 2003. https://doi.org/10.1145/779928.779933
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