An Asynchronous Proximal Bundle Method

We develop a fully asynchronous proximal bundle method for solving non-smooth, convex optimization problems. The algorithm can be used as a drop-in replacement for classic bundle methods, i.e., the function must be given by a first-order oracle for computing function values and subgradients. The algorithm allows for an arbitrary number of master problem processes computing … Read more

Projective Hedging for Stochastic Programming

We propose a decomposition algorithm for multistage stochastic programming that resembles the progressive hedging method of Rockafellar and Wets, but is provably capable of several forms of asynchronous operation. We derive the method from a class of projective operator splitting methods fairly recently proposed by Combettes and Eckstein, significantly expanding the known applications of those … Read more

Decentralized Consensus Optimization with Asynchrony and Delays

We propose an asynchronous, decentralized algorithm for consensus optimization. The algorithm runs over a network in which the agents communicate with their neighbors and perform local computation. In the proposed algorithm, each agent can compute and communicate independently at different times, for different durations, with the information it has even if the latest information from … Read more

Analysis and Implementation of an Asynchronous Optimization Algorithm for the Parameter Server

This paper presents an asynchronous incremental aggregated gradient algorithm and its implementation in a parameter server framework for solving regularized optimization problems. The algorithm can handle both general convex (possibly non-smooth) regularizers and general convex constraints. When the empirical data loss is strongly convex, we establish linear convergence rate, give explicit expressions for step-size choices … Read more

On Unbounded Delays in Asynchronous Parallel Fixed-Point Algorithms

The need for scalable numerical solutions has motivated the development of asynchronous parallel algorithms, where a set of nodes run in parallel with little or no synchronization, thus computing with delayed information. This paper studies the convergence of the asynchronous parallel algorithm ARock under potentially unbounded delays. ARock is a general asynchronous algorithm that has … 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

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

Coordinate Friendly Structures, Algorithms and Applications

This paper focuses on coordinate update methods, which are useful for solving problems involving large or high-dimensional datasets. They decompose a problem into simple subproblems, where each updates one, or a small block of, variables while fixing others. These methods can deal with linear and nonlinear mappings, smooth and nonsmooth functions, as well as convex … Read more

ARock: an Algorithmic Framework for Asynchronous Parallel Coordinate Updates

We propose ARock, an asynchronous parallel algorithmic framework for finding a fixed point to a nonexpansive operator. In the framework, a set of agents (machines, processors, or cores) update a sequence of randomly selected coordinates of the unknown variable in an asynchronous parallel fashion. As special cases of ARock, novel algorithms for linear systems, convex … Read more