Related papers: Direct-search methods in the year 2025: Theoretica…
Derivative-free optimization (DFO) is the mathematical study of the optimization algorithms that do not use derivatives. One branch of DFO focuses on model-based DFO methods, where an approximation of the objective function is used to guide…
Profile guided optimization is an effective technique for improving the optimization ability of compilers based on dynamic behavior, but collecting profile data is expensive, cumbersome, and requires regular updating to remain fresh. We…
This survey describes a class of methods known as "fast direct solvers". These algorithms address the problem of solving a system of linear equations $\boldsymbol{Ax}=\boldsymbol{b}$ arising from the discretization of either an elliptic PDE…
Over the past three decades, numerous articles have been published discussing the renowned DIRECT algorithm (DIvididing RECTangles). These articles present innovative ideas to enhance its performance and adapt it to various types of…
Among classical search algorithms with the same heuristic information, with sufficient memory A* is essentially as fast as possible in finding a proven optimal solution. However, in many situations optimal solutions are simply infeasible,…
Among the most important properties of algorithms investigated in computer science are soundness, completeness, and complexity. These properties, however, are rarely analyzed for the vast collection of recently proposed methods for planning…
Over the last three decades, many attempts have been made to improve the DIRECT (DIviding RECTangles) algorithm's efficiency. Various novel ideas and extensions have been suggested. The main two steps of DIRECT-type algorithms are selecting…
We introduce a novel distributed derivative-free optimization framework that is resilient to stragglers. The proposed method employs coded search directions at which the objective function is evaluated, and a decoding step to find the next…
We study sequential search without priors. Our interest lies in decision rules that are close to being optimal under each prior and after each history. We call these rules dynamically robust. The search literature employs optimal rules…
This paper proposes a new framework for providing approximation guarantees of local search algorithms. Local search is a basic algorithm design technique and is widely used for various combinatorial optimization problems. To analyze local…
Learning-to-optimize leverages machine learning to accelerate optimization algorithms. While empirical results show tremendous improvements compared to classical optimization algorithms, theoretical guarantees are mostly lacking, such that…
Since the emergence of large language models, prompt learning has become a popular method for optimizing and customizing these models. Special prompts, such as Chain-of-Thought, have even revealed previously unknown reasoning capabilities…
The design of compact deep neural networks is a crucial task to enable widespread adoption of deep neural networks in the real-world, particularly for edge and mobile scenarios. Due to the time-consuming and challenging nature of manually…
This paper reviews recent advances in the field of optimization under uncertainty via a modern data lens, highlights key research challenges and promise of data-driven optimization that organically integrates machine learning and…
In this paper we consider the use of probabilistic or random models within a classical trust-region framework for optimization of deterministic smooth general nonlinear functions. Our method and setting differs from many stochastic…
Line search (or backtracking) procedures have been widely employed into first-order methods for solving convex optimization problems, especially those with unknown problem parameters (e.g., Lipschitz constant). In this paper, we show that…
Recent years have seen tremendous growth in the amount of verified software. Proofs for complex properties can now be achieved using higher-order theories and calculi. Complex properties lead to an ever-growing number of definitions and…
To tackle the exponentiality associated with NP-hard problems, two paradigms have been proposed. First, Branch & Bound, like Dynamic Programming, achieve efficient exact inference but requires extensive information and analysis about the…
This paper proposes a novel distributed optimization framework that addresses time-varying optimization problems without requiring explicit derivative information of the objective functions. Traditional distributed methods often rely on…
We introduce a general framework for analyzing learning algorithms based on the notion of self-regularization, which captures implicit complexity control without requiring explicit regularization. This is motivated by previous observations…