A progressive barrier derivative-free trust-region algorithm for constrained optimization

We study derivative-free constrained optimization problems and propose a trust-region method that builds linear or quadratic models around the best feasible and and around the best infeasible solutions found so far. These models are optimized within a trust region, and the progressive barrier methodology handles the constraints by progressively pushing the infeasible solutions toward the … Read more

Exact Worst-case Performance of First-order Methods for Composite Convex Optimization

We provide a framework for computing the exact worst-case performance of any algorithm belonging to a broad class of oracle-based first-order methods for composite convex optimization, including those performing explicit, projected, proximal, conditional and inexact (sub)gradient steps. We simultaneously obtain tight worst-case guarantees and explicit instances of optimization problems on which the algorithm reaches this … Read more

Order-based error for managing ensembles of surrogates in derivative-free optimization

We investigate surrogate-assisted strategies for derivative-free optimization using the mesh adaptive direct search (MADS) blackbox optimization algorithm. In particular, we build an ensemble of surrogate models to be used within the search step of MADS, and examine different methods for selecting the best model for a given problem at hand. To do so, we introduce … Read more

TMAC: A Toolbox of Modern Async-Parallel, Coordinate, Splitting, and Stochastic Methods

TMAC is a toolbox written in C++11 that implements algorithms based on a set of mod- ern methods for large-scale optimization. It covers a variety of optimization problems, which can be both smooth and nonsmooth, convex and nonconvex, as well as constrained and unconstrained. The algorithms implemented in TMAC, such as the coordinate up- date … Read more

Local Convergence Properties of Douglas–Rachford and ADMM

The Douglas–Rachford (DR) and alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) are two proximal splitting algorithms designed to minimize the sum of two proper lower semi-continuous convex functions whose proximity operators are easy to compute. The goal of this work is to understand the local linear convergence behaviour of DR/ADMM when the involved functions are moreover … Read more

A Multi-step Inertial Forward–Backward Splitting Method for Non-convex Optimization

In this paper, we propose a multi-step inertial Forward–Backward splitting algorithm for minimizing the sum of two non-necessarily convex functions, one of which is proper lower semi-continuous while the other is differentiable with a Lipschitz continuous gradient. We first prove global convergence of the scheme with the help of the Kurdyka-Lojasiewicz property. Then, when the … Read more

The Sound of APALM Clapping: Faster Nonsmooth Nonconvex Optimization with Stochastic Asynchronous PALM

We introduce the Stochastic Asynchronous Proximal Alternating Linearized Minimization (SAPALM) method, a block coordinate stochastic proximal-gradient method for solving nonconvex, nonsmooth optimization problems. SAPALM is the first asynchronous parallel optimization method that provably converges on a large class of nonconvex, nonsmooth problems. We prove that SAPALM matches the best known rates of convergence — among … Read more

Pessimistic bilevel linear optimization

In this paper, we investigate the pessimistic bilevel linear optimization problem (PBLOP). Based on the lower level optimal value function and duality, the PBLOP can be transformed to a single-level while nonconvex and nonsmooth optimization problem. By use of linear optimization duality, we obtain a tractable and equivalent transformation and propose algorithms for computing global … Read more

Computation of Graphical Derivative for a Class of Normal Cone Mappings under a Very Weak Condition

Let $\Gamma:=\{x\in \R^n\, |\, q(x)\in\Theta\},$ where $q: \R^n\rightarrow\R^m$ is a twice continuously differentiable mapping, and $\Theta$ is a nonempty polyhedral convex set in $\R^m.$ In this paper, we first establish a formula for exactly computing the graphical derivative of the normal cone mapping $N_\Gamma:\R^n\rightrightarrows\R^n,$ $x\mapsto N_\Gamma(x),$ under the condition that $M_q(x):=q(x)-\Theta$ is metrically subregular at … Read more

The Asynchronous PALM Algorithm for Nonsmooth Nonconvex Problems

We introduce the Asynchronous PALM algorithm, a new extension of the Proximal Alternating Linearized Minimization (PALM) algorithm for solving nonconvex nonsmooth optimization problems. Like the PALM algorithm, each step of the Asynchronous PALM algorithm updates a single block of coordinates; but unlike the PALM algorithm, the Asynchronous PALM algorithm eliminates the need for sequential updates … Read more