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arXiv · 2403.18744

A nonsmooth Frank-Wolfe algorithm through a dual cutting-plane approach

Guilherme Mazanti·Thibault Moquet·Laurent Pfeiffer
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Abstract

An extension of the Frank-Wolfe Algorithm (FWA), also known as Conditional Gradient algorithm, is proposed. In its standard form, the FWA allows to solve constrained optimization problems involving $\beta$-smooth cost functions, calling at each iteration a Linear Minimization Oracle. More specifically, the oracle solves a problem obtained by linearization of the original cost function. The algorithm designed and investigated in this article, named Dualized Level-Set (DLS) algorithm, extends the FWA and allows to address a class of nonsmooth costs, involving in particular support functions. The key idea behind the construction of the DLS method is a general interpretation of the FWA as a cutting-plane algorithm, from the dual point of view. The DLS algorithm essentially results from a dualization of a specific cutting-plane algorithm, based on projections on some level sets. The DLS algorithm generates a sequence of primal-dual candidates, and we prove that the corresponding primal-dual gap converges with a rate of $O(1/\sqrt{t})$.

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Guilherme Mazanti, Thibault Moquet, Laurent Pfeiffer. 2024-03-27. A nonsmooth Frank-Wolfe algorithm through a dual cutting-plane approach. https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.18744

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