Solving Weighted Max-SAT Problems in a Reduced Search Space: A Performance Analysis

We analyze, in this work, the performance of a recently introduced weighted Max-SAT solver, Clone, in the Max-SAT evaluation 2007. Clone utilizes a novel bound computation based on formula compilation that allows it to search in a reduced search space. We study how additional techniques from the SAT and Max-SAT literature affect the performance of Clone on problems from the evaluation. We then perform further investigations on factors that may affect the performance of leading Max-SAT solvers. We empirically identify two properties of weighted Max-SAT problems that can be used to adjust the difficulty level of the problems with respect to the considered solvers.