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In this work, we deal with unconstrained nonlinear optimization problems. Specifically, we are interested in methods carrying out updates possibly along directions not of descent, like Polyak's heavy-ball algorithm. Instead of enforcing…
Convex-concave min-max problems are ubiquitous in machine learning, and people usually utilize first-order methods (e.g., gradient descent ascent) to find the optimal solution. One feature which separates convex-concave min-max problems…
In this paper we present a first-order method that admits near-optimal convergence rates for convex/concave min-max problems while requiring a simple and intuitive analysis. Similarly to the seminal work of Nemirovski and the recent…
Recent focus on robustness to adversarial attacks for deep neural networks produced a large variety of algorithms for training robust models. Most of the effective algorithms involve solving the min-max optimization problem for training…
We study the problem of finding a near-stationary point for smooth minimax optimization. The recently proposed extra anchored gradient (EAG) methods achieve the optimal convergence rate for the convex-concave minimax problem in the…
In this paper, we study zeroth-order algorithms for minimax optimization problems that are nonconvex in one variable and strongly-concave in the other variable. Such minimax optimization problems have attracted significant attention lately…
In this work, we consider a connected network of finitely many agents working cooperatively to solve a min-max problem with convex-concave structure. We propose a decentralised first-order algorithm which can be viewed as a non-trivial…
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…
We describe a general-purpose method for finding high-quality solutions to hard optimization problems, inspired by self-organized critical models of co-evolution such as the Bak-Sneppen model. The method, called Extremal Optimization,…
A number of optimization approaches have been proposed for optimizing nonconvex objectives (e.g. deep learning models), such as batch gradient descent, stochastic gradient descent and stochastic variance reduced gradient descent. Theory…
We present a new algorithm to solve min-max or min-min problems out of the convex world. We use rigidity assumptions, ubiquitous in learning, making our method applicable to many optimization problems. Our approach takes advantage of hidden…
We address the problem of finding a local solution to a nonconvex-nonconcave minmax optimization using Newton type methods, including interior-point ones. We modify the Hessian matrix of these methods such that, at each step, the modified…
We study online convex optimization under stochastic sub-gradient observation faults, where we introduce adaptive algorithms with minimax optimal regret guarantees. We specifically study scenarios where our sub-gradient observations can be…
Min-max saddle point games have recently been intensely studied, due to their wide range of applications, including training Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs). However, most of the recent efforts for solving them are limited to special…
We propose new sequential simulation-optimization algorithms for general convex optimization via simulation problems with high-dimensional discrete decision space. The performance of each choice of discrete decision variables is evaluated…
This paper studies first order methods for solving smooth minimax optimization problems $\min_x \max_y g(x,y)$ where $g(\cdot,\cdot)$ is smooth and $g(x,\cdot)$ is concave for each $x$. In terms of $g(\cdot,y)$, we consider two settings --…
We propose stochastic variance reduced algorithms for solving convex-concave saddle point problems, monotone variational inequalities, and monotone inclusions. Our framework applies to extragradient, forward-backward-forward, and…
Binary optimization is a powerful tool for modeling combinatorial problems, yet scalable and theoretically sound solution methods remain elusive. Conventional solvers often rely on heuristic strategies with weak guarantees or struggle with…
This paper presents an algorithmic framework for solving unconstrained stochastic optimization problems using only stochastic function evaluations. We employ central finite-difference based gradient estimation methods to approximate the…
Online minimization of an unknown convex function over the interval $[0,1]$ is considered under first-order stochastic bandit feedback, which returns a random realization of the gradient of the function at each query point. Without knowing…