Task Scheduling

Problem Overview

• Compute the minimum total cost to complete all tasks given paid/free server constraints.
• Input arrays cost[i] and time[i]; return an int for the minimum cost; n up to 1e5, cost up to 1e6, time up to 1e7.
• Paid server runs task i with cost[i] and time[i]; free server costs 0, takes 1 unit, and can run only when the paid server is occupied.
• Models data analysts scheduling long-running tasks on remote servers to reduce local cost.
• Asked in Snowflake interviews; a coding interview interview question and optimization problem.