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We consider the optimization of a smooth and strongly convex objective using constant step-size stochastic gradient descent (SGD) and study its properties through the prism of Markov chains. We show that, for unbiased gradient estimates…
We give a simple local Polyak-Lojasiewicz (PL) criterion that guarantees linear (exponential) convergence of gradient flow and gradient descent to a zero-loss solution of a nonnegative objective. We then verify this criterion for the…
Given a positive definite covariance matrix $\widehat \Sigma$, we strive to construct an optimal \emph{approximate} factor analysis model $HH^\top +D$, with $H$ having a prescribed number of columns and $D>0$ diagonal. The optimality…
This work proposes A$^2$GD, a novel adaptive accelerated gradient descent method for convex and composite optimization. Smoothness and convexity constants are updated via Lyapunov analysis. Inspired by stability analysis in ODE solvers, the…
Block-coordinate descent algorithms and alternating minimization methods are fundamental optimization algorithms and an important primitive in large-scale optimization and machine learning. While various block-coordinate-descent-type…
Gradient descent (GD) type optimization methods are the standard instrument to train artificial neural networks (ANNs) with rectified linear unit (ReLU) activation. Despite the great success of GD type optimization methods in numerical…
Large-scale nonconvex optimization problems are ubiquitous in modern machine learning, and among practitioners interested in solving them, Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) reigns supreme. We revisit the analysis of SGD in the nonconvex…
In this paper, we present CT-AGD (Curvature-Tuned Accelerated Gradient Descent), an optimization method for non-convex optimization problems in deep learning training tasks. CT-AGD is a general boosting procedure that accelerates…
Stochastic gradient descent (SGD) is a foundational algorithm for large-scale statistical learning and stochastic optimization. However, statistical inference based on SGD iterates remains challenging when stochastic gradients have infinite…
Tensors, which provide a powerful and flexible model for representing multi-attribute data and multi-way interactions, play an indispensable role in modern data science across various fields in science and engineering. A fundamental task is…
Novel coordinate descent (CD) methods are proposed for minimizing nonconvex functions consisting of three terms: (i) a continuously differentiable term, (ii) a simple convex term, and (iii) a concave and continuous term. First, by extending…
This paper proposes a thorough theoretical analysis of Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) with non-increasing step sizes. First, we show that the recursion defining SGD can be provably approximated by solutions of a time inhomogeneous…
Matrix completion has attracted much interest in the past decade in machine learning and computer vision. For low-rank promotion in matrix completion, the nuclear norm penalty is convenient due to its convexity but has a bias problem.…
We present a strikingly simple proof that two rules are sufficient to automate gradient descent: 1) don't increase the stepsize too fast and 2) don't overstep the local curvature. No need for functional values, no line search, no…
We introduce a perturbed preconditioned gradient descent (PPGD) method for the unconstrained minimization of a strongly convex objective $G$ with a locally Lipschitz continuous gradient. We assume that $G(v)=E(v)+F(v)$ and that the gradient…
Alternating Minimization is a widely used and empirically successful heuristic for matrix completion and related low-rank optimization problems. Theoretical guarantees for Alternating Minimization have been hard to come by and are still…
Under mild assumptions stochastic gradient methods asymptotically achieve an optimal rate of convergence if the arithmetic mean of all iterates is returned as an approximate optimal solution. However, in the absence of stochastic noise, the…
In this paper, we study the convergence properties of the Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) method for finding a stationary point of a given objective function $J(\cdot)$. The objective function is not required to be convex. Rather, our…
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 revisits the classical low-rank matrix factorization problem and unveils the critical role of initialization in shaping convergence rates for such nonconvex and nonsmooth optimization. We introduce Nystrom initialization, which…