Description
Hierarchical clustering is a common method used to determine clusters of similar data points in multi-dimensional spaces. O(n^2) algorithms, where n is the number of points to cluster, have long been known for this problem. This paper discusses parallel algorithms to perform hierarchical clustering using various distance metrics. I describe O(n) time algorithms for clustering using the single link, average link, complete link, centroid, median, and minimum variance metrics on an n node CRCW PRAM and O(n log n) algorithms for these metrics (except average link and complete link) on n\log n node butterfly networks or trees. Thus, optimal efficiency is achieved for a significant number of processors using these distance metrics. A general algorithm is given that can be used to perform clustering with the complete link and average link metrics on a butterfly. While this algorithm achieves optimal efficiency for the general class of metrics, it is not optimal for the specific cases of complete link and average link clustering.