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Random algorithms for convex minimization problems

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Abstract

This paper deals with iterative gradient and subgradient methods with random feasibility steps for solving constrained convex minimization problems, where the constraint set is specified as the intersection of possibly infinitely many constraint sets. Each constraint set is assumed to be given as a level set of a convex but not necessarily differentiable function. The proposed algorithms are applicable to the situation where the whole constraint set of the problem is not known in advance, but it is rather learned in time through observations. Also, the algorithms are of interest for constrained optimization problems where the constraints are known but the number of constraints is either large or not finite. We analyze the proposed algorithm for the case when the objective function is differentiable with Lipschitz gradients and the case when the objective function is not necessarily differentiable. The behavior of the algorithm is investigated both for diminishing and non-diminishing stepsize values. The almost sure convergence to an optimal solution is established for diminishing stepsize. For non-diminishing stepsize, the error bounds are established for the expected distances of the weighted averages of the iterates from the constraint set, as well as for the expected sub-optimality of the function values along the weighted averages.

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  1. Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    Angelia Nedić

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  1. Angelia Nedić
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Nedić, A. Random algorithms for convex minimization problems. Math. Program. 129, 225–253 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10107-011-0468-9

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