Paper introduces SGA for barycenter optimization in optimal transport.
problem Optimizing Wasserstein barycenter for discrete distributions.
method Sobolev gradient ascent algorithm tailored to Wasserstein geometry.
result SGA achieves convergence rate similar to subgradient descent.
Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) has become popular for solving large scale supervised machine learning optimization problems such as SVM, due to their strong theoretical guarantees. While the closely related Dual Coordinate Ascent (DCA) method has been implemented in various software packages, it has so far lacked go…
Stochastic dual coordinate ascent (SDCA) is an effective technique for solving regularized loss minimization problems in machine learning. This paper considers an extension of SDCA under the mini-batch setting that is often used in practice. Our main contribution is to introduce an accelerated mini-batch version of SDC…
The stochastic dual coordinate-ascent (S-DCA) technique is a useful alternative to the traditional stochastic gradient-descent algorithm for solving large-scale optimization problems due to its scalability to large data sets and strong theoretical guarantees. However, the available S-DCA formulation is limited to finit…
We introduce a proximal version of dual coordinate ascent method. We demonstrate how the derived algorithmic framework can be used for numerous regularized loss minimization problems, including ℓ1 regularization and structured output SVM. The convergence rates we obtain match, and sometimes improve, state-of-the-…
Uniform sampling of training data has been commonly used in traditional stochastic optimization algorithms such as Proximal Stochastic Gradient Descent (prox-SGD) and Proximal Stochastic Dual Coordinate Ascent (prox-SDCA). Although uniform sampling can guarantee that the sampled stochastic quantity is an unbiased estim…
New method accelerates convergence for entropy-regularized reinforcement learning problems.
problem Slow convergence of standard first-order methods for entropy-regularized Markov decision processes.
method Introduce a quadratically convexified primal-dual formulation and a new interpolating metric to accelerate convergence.
result Global convergence and exponential convergence rate for the new method.
A new method for distributed optimization reduces communication rounds without minibatches.
problem Efficient training in distributed machine learning with different data distributions.
method A primal-dual method (GA-MSGD) applied to the Lagrangian of distributed optimization.
result Achieves linear convergence in communication rounds for strongly convex objectives.
The paper optimizes watermarking of LLMs, improving detection ability.
problem Optimizing watermarking of large language models (LLMs) while balancing model distortion and detection ability.
method Formulated as a constrained optimization problem, developed an online dual gradient ascent algorithm proving asymptotic Pareto optimality.
result Guarantees an increased green list probability and detection ability.
We introduce a proximal version of the stochastic dual coordinate ascent method and show how to accelerate the method using an inner-outer iteration procedure. We analyze the runtime of the framework and obtain rates that improve state-of-the-art results for various key machine learning optimization problems including …
This paper introduces AdaSDCA: an adaptive variant of stochastic dual coordinate ascent (SDCA) for solving the regularized empirical risk minimization problems. Our modification consists in allowing the method adaptively change the probability distribution over the dual variables throughout the iterative process. AdaSD…
We present a dual subspace ascent algorithm for support vector machine training that respects a budget constraint limiting the number of support vectors. Budget methods are effective for reducing the training time of kernel SVM while retaining high accuracy. To date, budget training is available only for primal (SGD-ba…
Study efficient convergence of RL algorithm with function approximation.
problem Convergence of actor-critic algorithm with nonlinear function approximation.
method Stochastic gradient descent ascent with adaptive proximal term, Polyak-Łojasiewicz condition.
result First efficient convergence result with rate of O(sqrt{ln(N d G^2) / N}).
Improves posterior approximation speed for Dirichlet process mixture models.
problem Inefficiency of stochastic variational inference in large datasets.
method Uses stochastic gradient ascent with adaptive stepsize optimization.
result Adaptive stepsize improves speed and performance of posterior approximation.
Gradient ascent method successfully removes specific data points from neural networks without retraining.
problem Addressing privacy and ethical concerns by removing specific data points from trained models.
method Gradient ascent approach to unlearning, leveraging the implicit bias of gradient descent towards margin maximization conditions.
result Gradient ascent method can successfully unlearn specific data points from two-layer ReLU neural networks without retraining.
Policy gradient aims to maximize expected return using gradient ascent.
problem Finding a policy that maximizes expected return in a given class of policies.
method Gradient ascent applied to a differentiable model of the policy, estimating the gradient of expected return.
result Policy gradient methods require on-policy data for gradient estimation, limiting sample efficiency.
The minimization of convex objectives coming from linear supervised learning problems, such as penalized generalized linear models, can be formulated as finite sums of convex functions. For such problems, a large set of stochastic first-order solvers based on the idea of variance reduction are available and combine bot…
New taxonomy and improved solvers for discrete energy minimization.
problem Maximum-a-posteriori inference in discrete graphical models.
method Dual block-coordinate ascent rule, theoretical analysis, new solver variants.
result Improved state-of-the-art solver outperforming existing methods on all test instances.
New solver MPLP++ outperforms existing solvers for dense graph models.
problem Efficiently solving dense, discrete Graphical Models with pairwise potentials.
method Dual Block-Coordinate Ascent with MPLP++ modification.
result MPLP++ significantly outperforms existing solvers, including TRWS.
We present a new algorithm based on an gradient ascent for a general Active Exploration bandit problem in the fixed confidence setting. This problem encompasses several well studied problems such that the Best Arm Identification or Thresholding Bandits. It consists of a new sampling rule based on an online lazy mirror …
We propose a new stochastic dual coordinate ascent technique that can be applied to a wide range of regularized learning problems. Our method is based on Alternating Direction Multiplier Method (ADMM) to deal with complex regularization functions such as structured regularizations. Although the original ADMM is a batch…
TiAda adapts adaptive gradient methods for nonconvex minimax optimization.
problem Nonconvex minimax optimization challenges in achieving convergence.
method TiAda is a time-scale adaptive GDA algorithm for nonconvex minimax optimization.
result TiAda achieves near-optimal complexities in deterministic and stochastic settings.
New algorithm solves federated minimax optimization problems.
problem Federated minimax optimization challenges.
method Federated Stochastic Smoothed Gradient Descent Ascent (FESS-GDA).
result FESS-GDA uniformly solves federated minimax problems.
Gradient descent-ascent converges to strict local minmax equilibria with a finite timescale separation.
problem Analyzing the convergence of gradient descent-ascent in non-convex, non-concave games with a finite timescale separation.
method Investigates the role of a finite timescale separation parameter τ on gradient descent-ascent in two-player zero-sum games, providing convergence rates and non-convergence results.
result Gradient descent-ascent converges to strict local minmax equilibria for a finite timescale separation parameter τ*.
Lazy neural networks are vulnerable to adversarial attacks.
problem Adversarial robustness issues in lazy training models.
method Extending recent work on adversarial examples to lazy training models.
result Over-parametrized neural networks that generalize well remain vulnerable to single-step gradient ascent attacks.
SoftAD improves classification accuracy with less fine-tuning and fewer computational costs.
problem Improving classification accuracy with less fine-tuning and fewer computational costs.
method SoftAD is a softened, pointwise mechanism that downweights borderline points and limits the effects of outliers.
result SoftAD achieves classification accuracy competitive with flooding and SAM, with a smaller loss generalization gap and model norm.
The paper connects two clustering methods by showing gradient ascent flow can move up the cluster tree.
problem Establishing a strong correspondence between clustering methods.
method Moving up the cluster tree by following the gradient ascent flow.
result Gradient ascent flow can be used to move up the cluster tree.
This work investigates the training of conditional random fields (CRFs) via the stochastic dual coordinate ascent (SDCA) algorithm of Shalev-Shwartz and Zhang (2016). SDCA enjoys a linear convergence rate and a strong empirical performance for binary classification problems. However, it has never been used to train CRF…
Dual training method for EBMs with overparametrized neural networks.
problem Training EBMs with non-convex energies is challenging.
method Derive variational principles and dual GDA algorithm for feature-learning regime.
result Dual GDA algorithm performs best with similar time scales for features and particles.
SAVO actor improves reinforcement learning by avoiding local optima in complex Q-functions.
problem Gradient ascent in complex Q-functions leads to suboptimal solutions.
method SAVO actor generates multiple action proposals and truncates poor local optima.
result SAVO actor finds optimal actions more frequently and outperforms other architectures.
In this paper we consider solving saddle point problems using two variants of Gradient Descent-Ascent algorithms, Extra-gradient (EG) and Optimistic Gradient Descent Ascent (OGDA) methods. We show that both of these algorithms admit a unified analysis as approximations of the classical proximal point method for solving…
Gradient-descent-ascent dynamics can exhibit various behaviors in non-convex non-concave games.
problem Gradient-descent-ascent dynamics in non-convex non-concave games can lead to recurrent behavior and spurious equilibria.
method Combines optimization theory, game theory, and dynamical systems.
result Gradient-descent-ascent dynamics can exhibit Poincaré recurrence and converge to spurious equilibria.
DS-GDA solves nonconvex-nonconcave problems without regularity conditions.
problem Nonconvex-nonconcave minimax optimization challenges.
method Doubly smoothed gradient descent ascent method (DS-GDA).
result Achieves convergence on various nonconvex-nonconcave problems.
Algorithm optimizes constrained reinforcement learning with dual variables.
problem Minimizing convex functional subject to convex constraint in large state spaces.
method VPDPO algorithm using Lagrangian and Fenchel duality.
result Achieves sublinear regret and constraint violation, globally optimal policy.
A scalable method for BED with implicit models using approximate gradients.
problem Efficiently estimating posterior distribution and maximizing MI for implicit models.
method Stochastic approximate gradient ascent with smoothed variational MI estimator.
result Significantly improves scalability of BED in high-dimensional problems.
Optimizes binary regression models with gradient ascent-descent methods.
problem Regression problems with binary weights in quantized learning and digital communication.
method Maximin optimization using gradient ascent-descent methods.
result The approach is optimal in linear regression with low noise and robust regression with few outliers.
New ODE models show saddle-point optimization methods converge differently, with last-iterate convergence for OGDA.
problem Analyzing convergence properties of saddle-point optimization methods.
method High-Resolution Differential Equations (HRDEs) to design differential equation models for saddle-point optimization methods.
result HRDEs reveal last-iterate convergence for Optimistic Gradient Descent Ascent (OGDA) in bilinear games.
Paper studies convergence of Mean-Field GDA dynamics for MNE of continuous games.
problem Finding mixed Nash equilibria in continuous games.
method Two-scale Mean-Field Gradient Descent Ascent dynamics.
result Two-scale Mean-Field GDA converges exponentially to MNE without convexity assumptions.
In 1963, Polyak proposed a simple condition that is sufficient to show a global linear convergence rate for gradient descent. This condition is a special case of the Łojasiewicz inequality proposed in the same year, and it does not require strong convexity (or even convexity). In this work, we show that this much-older…
SREDA optimizes complex machine learning problems with fewer evaluations.
problem Finding an optimal point in nonconvex-strongly-concave minimax problems.
method Stochastic Recursive Gradient Descent Ascent (SREDA) with variance reduction.
result Achieves optimal stochastic gradient complexity of O(κ^3ε^-3).
This paper introduces a new method to evaluate multiple policies simultaneously.
problem Estimating the value of many policies for a single set of states.
method Developed a scalable, differentiable fingerprinting mechanism to represent complex policies.
result The method can produce policies that outperform those that generated the training data, in zero-shot manner.
A new method trains physics-constrained neural networks more efficiently.
problem Training machine learning tools with limited data and physical constraints.
method Dual-Dimer method for searching saddle points in nonconvex-nonconcave functions.
result The Dual-Dimer method improves training efficiency and convergence speed.
Improves BED scalability for implicit models.
problem Designing experiments for implicit models with intractable data distributions.
method Hybrid gradient approach combining variational MI estimator, ES, and SGA.
result Significantly improves scalability of BED for implicit models.
Algorithm converges to Nash equilibria in competitive games.
problem Finding Nash equilibria in decentralized, competitive Markov games.
method Decentralized Optimistic Gradient Descent/Ascent with a critic.
result Converges to the set of Nash equilibria under self-play.
Method identifies mixed Nash equilibria in high dimensions for training mixtures of GANs.
problem Finding Nash equilibria in two-player zero-sum continuous games, especially in high dimensions.
method Parametrizing mixed strategies as mixtures of particles, updating their positions and weights using gradient descent-ascent.
result Global convergence to an approximate equilibrium for the related Langevin gradient-ascent dynamic.
Gradient Descent Ascent converges to von-Neumann solution in hidden zero-sum games.
problem Understanding dynamics of zero-sum games with hidden structure.
method Gradient Descent Ascent applied to hidden zero-sum games with specific convex-concave structure.
result Gradient Descent Ascent converges to von-Neumann solution in strictly convex-concave hidden games.
SGD finds global optima in WGANs for 1-layer generators.
problem Training GANs with WGANs requires global optimality, which is hard.
method Used SGD to train 1-layer generator networks in WGANs.
result SGD converges to global solution in polynomial time and sample complexity.
Paper proposes algorithms for solving nonconvex-nonconcave problems with complexity guarantees.
problem Nonconvex-nonconcave minimax problems with PL condition.
method Zeroth-order AGDA and VRAGDA algorithms.
result Iteration complexities for obtaining ε-stationary points.