Related papers: A globally convergent algorithm for nonconvex opti…
This paper studies first-order algorithms for solving fully composite optimization problems over convex and compact sets. We leverage the structure of the objective by handling its differentiable and non-differentiable components…
Non-convex optimization is a critical tool in advancing machine learning, especially for complex models like deep neural networks and support vector machines. Despite challenges such as multiple local minima and saddle points, non-convex…
In this paper, we study distributed big-data nonconvex optimization in multi-agent networks. We consider the (constrained) minimization of the sum of a smooth (possibly) nonconvex function, i.e., the agents' sum-utility, plus a convex…
The graduated optimization approach, also known as the continuation method, is a popular heuristic to solving non-convex problems that has received renewed interest over the last decade. Despite its popularity, very little is known in terms…
In this paper, we study the global convergence of majorization minimization (MM) algorithms for solving nonconvex regularized optimization problems. MM algorithms have received great attention in machine learning. However, when applied to…
The main challenge of nonconvex optimization is to find a global optimum, or at least to avoid ``bad'' local minima and meaningless stationary points. We study here the extent to which algorithms, as opposed to optimization models and…
Substantial progress has been made recently on developing provably accurate and efficient algorithms for low-rank matrix factorization via nonconvex optimization. While conventional wisdom often takes a dim view of nonconvex optimization…
We consider the problem of global optimization of an unknown non-convex smooth function with zeroth-order feedback. In this setup, an algorithm is allowed to adaptively query the underlying function at different locations and receives noisy…
In this paper, we study large-scale convex optimization algorithms based on the Newton method applied to regularized generalized self-concordant losses, which include logistic regression and softmax regression. We first prove that our new…
In this paper we propose a variant of the random coordinate descent method for solving linearly constrained convex optimization problems with composite objective functions. If the smooth part of the objective function has Lipschitz…
In this paper we analyze a family of general random block coordinate descent methods for the minimization of $\ell_0$ regularized optimization problems, i.e. the objective function is composed of a smooth convex function and the $\ell_0$…
In this paper, we study stochastic constrained minimax optimization problems with nonconvex-nonconcave structure, a central problem in modern machine learning, for which reliable and efficient algorithms remain largely unexplored due to its…
Matrix factorization is a popular approach for large-scale matrix completion. The optimization formulation based on matrix factorization can be solved very efficiently by standard algorithms in practice. However, due to the non-convexity…
This article considers nonconvex global optimization problems subject to uncertainties described by continuous random variables. Such problems arise in chemical process design, renewable energy systems, stochastic model predictive control,…
We propose an algorithm for optimizing the parameters of single hidden layer neural networks. Specifically, we derive a blockwise difference-of-convex (DC) functions representation of the objective function. Based on the latter, we propose…
In this paper we present a novel randomized block coordinate descent method for the minimization of a convex composite objective function. The method uses (approximate) partial second-order (curvature) information, so that the algorithm…
We introduce a novel approach addressing global analysis of a difficult class of nonconvex-nonsmooth optimization problems within the important framework of Lagrangian-based methods. This genuine nonlinear class captures many problems in…
In machine learning, nonconvex optimization problems with multiple local optimums are often encountered. Graduated Optimization Algorithm (GOA) is a popular heuristic method to obtain global optimums of nonconvex problems through…
We propose a general scheme for solving convex and non-convex optimization problems on manifolds. The central idea is that, by adding a multiple of the squared retraction distance to the objective function in question, we "convexify" the…
Motivated by the increasing availability of high-performance parallel computing, we design a distributed parallel algorithm for linearly-coupled block-structured nonconvex constrained optimization problems. Our algorithm performs…