Related papers: Black-Box Min--Max Continuous Optimization Using C…
The use of min-max optimization in adversarial training of deep neural network classifiers and training of generative adversarial networks has motivated the study of nonconvex-nonconcave optimization objectives, which frequently arise in…
Black-box (BB) optimization problems aim to identify an input that maximizes or minimizes the output of a function (the BB function) whose input-output relationship is unknown. Factorization machine with quadratic-optimization annealing…
Recent research in Cooperative Coevolution~(CC) have achieved promising progress in solving large-scale global optimization problems. However, existing CC paradigms have a primary limitation in that they require deep expertise for selecting…
The covariance matrix adaptation evolution strategy (CMA-ES) is one of the most successful methods for solving black-box continuous optimization problems. One practically useful aspect of the CMA-ES is that it can be used without…
While the Bayesian decision-theoretic framework offers an elegant solution to the problem of decision making under uncertainty, one question is how to appropriately select the prior distribution. One idea is to employ a worst-case prior.…
This work introduces StoMADS, a stochastic variant of the mesh adaptive direct-search (MADS) algorithm originally developed for deterministic blackbox optimization. StoMADS considers the unconstrained optimization of an objective function f…
Experimental robot optimization often requires evaluating each candidate policy for seconds to minutes. The chosen evaluation time influences optimization because of a speed-accuracy tradeoff: shorter evaluations enable faster iteration,…
When faced with a specific optimization problem, choosing which algorithm to use is always a tough task. Not only is there a vast variety of algorithms to select from, but these algorithms often are controlled by many hyperparameters, which…
We study the smooth minimax optimization problem $\min_{\bf x}\max_{\bf y} f({\bf x},{\bf y})$, where $f$ is $\ell$-smooth, strongly-concave in ${\bf y}$ but possibly nonconvex in ${\bf x}$. Most of existing works focus on finding the…
We study the problem of constrained efficient global optimization, where both the objective and constraints are expensive black-box functions that can be learned with Gaussian processes. We propose CONFIG (CONstrained efFIcient Global…
We extend the traditional worst-case, minimax analysis of stochastic convex optimization by introducing a localized form of minimax complexity for individual functions. Our main result gives function-specific lower and upper bounds on the…
In recent years, solving optimization problems involving black-box simulators has become a point of focus for the machine learning community due to their ubiquity in science and engineering. The simulators describe a forward process…
The problem of low-rank approximation with convex constraints, which appears in data analysis, system identification, model order reduction, low-order controller design and low-complexity modelling is considered. Given a matrix, the…
We provide a general method to convert a "primal" black-box algorithm for solving regularized convex-concave minimax optimization problems into an algorithm for solving the associated dual maximin optimization problem. Our method adds…
We consider the problem of maximizing an unknown function over a compact and convex set using as few observations as possible. We observe that the optimization of the function essentially relies on learning the induced bipartite ranking…
We revisit the smooth convex-concave bilinearly-coupled saddle-point problem of the form $\min_x\max_y f(x) + \langle y,\mathbf{B} x\rangle - g(y)$. In the highly specific case where each of the functions $f(x)$ and $g(y)$ is either affine…
The domain of an optimization problem is seen as one of its most important characteristics. In particular, the distinction between continuous and discrete optimization is rather impactful. Based on this, the optimizing algorithm, analyzing…
Black-box optimization (BBO) can be used to optimize functions whose analytic form is unknown. A common approach to realising BBO is to learn a surrogate model which approximates the target black-box function which can then be solved via…
We evaluate and extend the solution methods for models with binary and multiple continuous choice variables in dynamic programming, particularly in cases where a discrete state space solution method is not viable. Therefore, we approximate…
We address the problem of minimizing a smooth function $f^0(x)$ over a compact set $D$ defined by smooth functional constraints $f^i(x)\leq 0,~ i = 1,\ldots, m$ given noisy value measurements of $f^i(x)$. This problem arises in…