18 accepted papers
Solving non-convex, NP-hard optimization problems is crucial for training machine learning models, including neural networks. However, non-convexity often leads to black-box machine learning models with unclear inner workings. While convex formulations have been used for verifying neural network rob…
We introduce a new projection-free (Frank-Wolfe) method for optimizing structured nonconvex functions that are expressed as a difference of two convex functions. This problem class subsumes smooth nonconvex minimization, positioning our method as a promising alternative to the classical Frank-Wolfe…
We consider unconstrained minimization of smooth convex functions. We propose a novel variational perspective using forced Euler-Lagrange equation that allows for studying high-resolution ODEs. Through this, we obtain a faster convergence rate for gradient norm minimization using Nesterov's accelera…
This paper uncovers a simple but rather surprising connection: it shows that the well-known convex-concave procedure (CCCP) and its generalization to constrained problems are both special cases of the Frank-Wolfe (FW) method. This connection not only provides insight of deep (in our opinion) pedagog…
We propose a stochastic conditional gradient method (CGM) for minimizing convex finite-sum objectives formed as a sum of smooth and non-smooth terms. Existing CGM variants for this template either suffer from slow convergence rates, or require carefully increasing the batch size over the course of t…
"We present a hybrid classical-quantum framework based on the Frank-Wolfe algorithm, Q-FW, for solving quadratic, linearly-constrained, binary optimization problems on quantum annealers (QA). The computational premise of quantum computers has cultivated the re-design of various existing vision probl…
Three Operator Splitting (TOS) (Davis & Yin, 2017) can minimize the sum of multiple convex functions effectively when an efficient gradient oracle or proximal operator is available for each term. This requirement often fails in machine learning applications: (i) instead of full gradients only stocha…
We consider the problem of minimizing the sum of three functions, one of which is nonconvex but differentiable, and the other two are convex but possibly nondifferentiable. We investigate the Three Operator Splitting method (TOS) of Davis & Yin (2017) with an aim to extend its theoretical guarantees…
This paper considers a generic convex minimization template with affine constraints over a compact domain, which covers key semidefinite programming applications. The existing conditional gradient methods either do not apply to our template or are too slow in practice. To this end, we propose a new…
We propose a class of variance-reduced stochastic conditional gradient methods. By adopting the recent stochastic path-integrated differential estimator technique (SPIDER) of Fang et. al. (2018) for the classical Frank-Wolfe (FW) method, we introduce SPIDER-FW for finite-sum minimization as well as…
A broad class of convex optimization problems can be formulated as a semidefinite program (SDP), minimization of a convex function over the positive-semidefinite cone subject to some affine constraints. The majority of classical SDP solvers are designed for the deterministic setting where problem da…
We propose a conditional gradient framework for a composite convex minimization template with broad applications. Our approach combines smoothing and homotopy techniques under the CGM framework, and provably achieves the optimal convergence rate. We demonstrate that the same rate holds if the linear…
We present a novel method for convex unconstrained optimization that, without any modifications ensures: (1) accelerated convergence rate for smooth objectives, (2) standard convergence rate in the general (non-smooth) setting, and (3) standard convergence rate in the stochastic optimization setti…
Several important applications, such as streaming PCA and semidefinite programming, involve a large-scale positive-semidefinite (psd) matrix that is presented as a sequence of linear updates. Because of storage limitations, it may only be possible to retain a sketch of the psd matrix. This paper de…
This paper concerns a fundamental class of convex matrix optimization problems. It presents the first algorithm that uses optimal storage and provably computes a low-rank approximation of a solution. In particular, when all solutions have low rank, the algorithm converges to a solution. This algorit…
We study a phase retrieval problem in the Poisson noise model. Motivated by the PhaseLift approach, we approximate the maximum-likelihood estimator by solving a convex program with a nuclear norm constraint. While the Frank-Wolfe algorithm, together with the Lanczos method, can efficiently deal with…
We propose a stochastic optimization method for the minimization of the sum of three convex functions, one of which has Lipschitz continuous gradient as well as restricted strong convexity. Our approach is most suitable in the setting where it is computationally advantageous to process smooth term i…
We propose a new primal-dual algorithmic framework for a prototypical constrained convex optimization template. The algorithmic instances of our framework are universal since they can automatically adapt to the unknown Holder continuity degree and constant within the dual formulation. They are also…