Related papers: On Lower and Upper Bounds in Smooth Strongly Conve…
We develop a novel framework to study smooth and strongly convex optimization algorithms, both deterministic and stochastic. Focusing on quadratic functions we are able to examine optimization algorithms as a recursive application of linear…
We propose a new method for unconstrained optimization of a smooth and strongly convex function, which attains the optimal rate of convergence of Nesterov's accelerated gradient descent. The new algorithm has a simple geometric…
State-of-the-art methods in convex and non-convex optimization employ higher-order derivative information, either implicitly or explicitly. We explore the limitations of higher-order optimization and prove that even for convex optimization,…
We present a family of algorithms, called descent algorithms, for optimizing convex and non-convex functions. We also introduce a new first-order algorithm, called rescaled gradient descent (RGD), and show that RGD achieves a faster…
This work proposes an accelerated first-order algorithm we call the Robust Momentum Method for optimizing smooth strongly convex functions. The algorithm has a single scalar parameter that can be tuned to trade off robustness to gradient…
Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) is one of the simplest and most popular stochastic optimization methods. While it has already been theoretically studied for decades, the classical analysis usually required non-trivial smoothness…
In this work we propose a differential geometric motivation for Nesterov's accelerated gradient method (AGM) for strongly-convex problems. By considering the optimization procedure as occurring on a Riemannian manifold with a natural…
We investigate robust optimization problems defined for maximizing convex functions. For finite uncertainty set, we develop a geometric branch-and-bound algorithmic approach to solve this problem. The geometric branch-and-bound algorithm…
We consider smooth stochastic convex optimization problems in the context of algorithms which are based on directional derivatives of the objective function. This context can be considered as an intermediate one between derivative-free…
This paper presents a novel stochastic gradient descent algorithm for constrained optimization. The proposed algorithm randomly samples constraints and components of the finite sum objective function and relies on a relaxed logarithmic…
We consider the task of minimizing the sum of smooth and strongly convex functions stored in a decentralized manner across the nodes of a communication network whose links are allowed to change in time. We solve two fundamental problems for…
We consider the task of decentralized minimization of the sum of smooth strongly convex functions stored across the nodes of a network. For this problem, lower bounds on the number of gradient computations and the number of communication…
While Nesterov's Accelerated Gradient Descent (AGD) efficiently solves constrained problems when the constraint set $X \subseteq \mathbb{R}^n$ is simple and easy to project onto, it remains an open question whether function-constrained…
Graduated optimization is a global optimization technique that is used to minimize a multimodal nonconvex function by smoothing the objective function with noise and gradually refining the solution. This paper experimentally evaluates the…
Many important machine learning applications involve regularized nonconvex bi-level optimization. However, the existing gradient-based bi-level optimization algorithms cannot handle nonconvex or nonsmooth regularizers, and they suffer from…
Adaptive optimizers can reduce to normalized steepest descent (NSD) when only adapting to the current gradient, suggesting a close connection between the two algorithmic families. A key distinction between their analyses, however, lies in…
We provide a novel accelerated first-order method that achieves the asymptotically optimal convergence rate for smooth functions in the first-order oracle model. To this day, Nesterov's Accelerated Gradient Descent (AGD) and variations…
In a Hilbert setting, we develop a gradient-based dynamic approach for fast solving convex optimization problems. By applying time scaling, averaging, and perturbation techniques to the continuous steepest descent (SD), we obtain…
We present a coupled system of ODEs which, when discretized with a constant time step/learning rate, recovers Nesterov's accelerated gradient descent algorithm. The same ODEs, when discretized with a decreasing learning rate, leads to novel…
Large-scale constrained optimization problems are at the core of many tasks in control, signal processing, and machine learning. Notably, problems with functional constraints arise when, beyond a performance{\nobreakdash-}centric goal…