How to Use Mean-Field Control for Restless Bandits and Weakly Coupled MDPs

Explore the application of mean-field control techniques to restless bandits and weakly coupled Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) in this informative seminar. Delve into resource allocation problems modeled as weakly coupled MDPs, where an operator manages a population of entities with evolving states. Examine the computational challenges for finite populations and discover how these problems become more tractable with infinite populations. Learn about LP-based relaxations, including the renowned Whittle index, and their near-optimal solutions. Gain insights into recent research findings on the asymptotic optimality of these policies as the number of resources approaches infinity. Enhance your understanding of complex resource allocation strategies and their practical implications in various fields.

How to Use Mean-Field Control for Restless Bandits and Weakly Coupled MDPs. Nicolas Gast