Low-Rank Binary Matrix Approximation in Column-Sum Norm

We consider 𝓁₁-Rank-r Approximation over {GF}(2), where for a binary m× n matrix 𝐀 and a positive integer constant r, one seeks a binary matrix 𝐁 of rank at most r, minimizing the column-sum norm ‖ 𝐀 -𝐁‖₁. We show that for every ε ∈ (0, 1), there is a {randomized} (1+ε)-approximation algorithm for 𝓁₁-Rank-r Approximation over {GF}(2) of running time m^{O(1)}n^{O(2^{4r}⋅ ε^{-4})}. This is the first polynomial time approximation scheme (PTAS) for this problem.