arXiv subjects

Mathias Staudigl

Publications and source records attributed to Mathias Staudigl.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Stochastic Nonconvex Bilevel Optimization: Improved Rates Without Rare-Visit Assumption

We investigate stochastic simple bilevel optimization with smooth and possibly nonconvex upper- and lower-level objectives. Existing stochastic extensions of dynamic barrier gradient descent (DBGD) either obtain fast convergence under an unverifiable trajectory-dependent ``rare-visit'' assumption, or remove this assumption at a substantially higher oracle cost. We show that a simple denominator-only regularization of the DBGD multiplier eliminates the need for such an assumption while preserving fast convergence rates. Specifically, our method achieves $(\varepsilon, \varepsilon)$-stationarity in $O(\varepsilon^{-2})$ iterations using $O(\varepsilon^{-4})$ upper-level and $O(\varepsilon^{-7})$ lower-level stochastic gradients, which improves upon the best assumption-free complexities. We additionally derive anytime parameter schedules.

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arXiv2026

Inertial forward-backward algorithm with exterior penalization and Tikhonov regularization

In a real Hilbertian setting, we develop in this paper numerical splitting techniques guaranteeing strong convergence to the least norm solution of constrained variational inequalities. We develop a multiscale inertial forward-backward splitting algorithm for solving constrained monotone inclusion problems with multiscale penalization and vanishing Tikhonov regularization. The proposed framework accommodates smooth, nonsmooth, and mixed smooth--nonsmooth penalty operators, providing a unified treatment of a broad class of constrained monotone inclusion problems. In this general framework, we establish weak convergence of the generated iterates. By introducing a discrete Tikhonov central path, we further prove strong convergence to the minimum-norm solution of the problem under a mild constraint qualification condition on the problem data.

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arXiv2026

Stochastic Differential Inclusions driven by Maximal Monotone Operators with empty interiors

This paper studies the long-time behavior of stochastic differential inclusions driven by maximal monotone operators, motivated by continuous-time models of first-order optimization methods under noisy or approximate operator information. We first address well-posedness and show that existence and uniqueness can be established without the customary requirement that the operator's domain has nonempty interior, by adopting an appropriate notion of solution. We then analyze asymptotic properties of the resulting stochastic dynamics, extending convergence guarantees beyond previously studied settings that rely on smooth potentials, full-domain subdifferentials, or Lipschitz monotone operators. In addition, we consider a Tikhonov-type regularization of the stochastic inclusion and prove corresponding well-posedness and long-time convergence results.

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arXiv2026

A Stochastic Gradient Descent Approach to Design Policy Gradient Methods for LQR

In this work, we propose a stochastic gradient descent (SGD) framework to design data-driven policy gradient descent algorithms for the linear quadratic regulator problem. Two alternative schemes are considered to estimate the policy gradient from stochastic trajectory data: (i) an indirect online identification based approach, in which the system matrices are first estimated and subsequently used to construct the gradient, and (ii) a direct zeroth-order approach, which approximates the gradient using empirical cost evaluations. In both cases, the resulting gradient estimates are random due to stochasticity in the data, allowing us to use SGD theory to analyze the convergence of the associated policy gradient methods. A key technical step consists of modeling the gradient estimates as suitable stochastic gradient oracles, which, because of the way they are computed, are inherently based. We derive sufficient conditions under which SGD with a biased gradient oracle converges asymptotically to the optimal policy, and leverage these conditions to design the parameters of the gradient estimation schemes. Moreover, we compare the advantages and limitations of the two data-driven gradient estimators. Numerical experiments validate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.

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arXiv2026

Stochastic variance reduced extragradient methods for solving hierarchical variational inequalities

We are concerned with optimization in a broad sense through the lens of solving variational inequalities (VIs) -- a class of problems that are so general that they cover as particular cases minimization of functions, saddle-point (minimax) problems, Nash equilibrium problems, and many others. The key challenges in our problem formulation are the two-level hierarchical structure and finite-sum representation of the smooth operators in each level. For this setting, we are the first to prove convergence rates and complexity statements for variance-reduced stochastic algorithms approaching the solution of hierarchical VIs in Euclidean and Bregman setups.

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arXiv2026

Asymptotic behaviour of coupled random dynamical systems with multiscale aspects

We examine a class of stochastic differential inclusions involving multiscale effects designed to solve a class of generalized variational inequalities. This class of problems contains constrained convex non-smooth optimization problems, constrained saddle-point problems and various equilibrium problems in economics and engineering. In order to respect constraints we adopt a penalty approach, introducing an explicit time-dependency into the evolution system. The resulting dynamics are described in terms of a non-autonomous stochastic evolution equation governed by maximally monotone operators in the drift and perturbed by a Brownian motion. We study the asymptotic behavior, as well as finite time convergence rates in terms of gap functions. The condition we use to prove convergence involves a Legendre transform of the function describing the set C, a condition first used by Attouch and Czarnecki (J. Differ. Equations, Vol. 248, Issue 6, 2010) in the context of deterministic evolution equations. We also establish a large deviations principle showing that individual trajectories exhibit exponential concentration around the solution set. Finally we show how our continuous-time approach relates to penalty-regulated algorithms of forward-backward type after performing a suitable Euler-Maruyama discretisation.

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arXiv2025

Regularization methods for solving hierarchical variational inequalities with complexity guarantees

We consider hierarchical variational inequality problems, or more generally, variational inequalities defined over the set of zeros of a monotone operator. This framework includes convex optimization over equilibrium constraints and equilibrium selection problems. In a real Hilbert space setting, we combine a Tikhonov regularization and a proximal penalization to develop a flexible double-loop method for which we prove asymptotic convergence and provide rate statements in terms of gap functions. Our method is flexible, and effectively accommodates a large class of structured operator splitting formulations for which fixed-point encodings are available. Finally, we validate our findings numerically on various examples.

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arXiv2025

Extragradient methods with complexity guarantees for hierarchical variational inequalities

In the framework of a real Hilbert space we consider the problem of approaching solutions to a class of hierarchical variational inequality problems, subsuming several other problem classes including certain mathematical programs under equilibrium constraints, constrained min-max problems, hierarchical game problems, optimal control under VI constraints, and simple bilevel optimization problems. For this general problem formulation, we establish rates of convergence in terms of suitably constructed gap functions, measuring feasibility gaps and optimality gaps. We present worst-case iteration complexity results on both levels of the variational problem, as well as weak convergence under a geometric weak sharpness condition on the lower level solution set. Our results match and improve the state of the art in terms of their iteration complexity and the generality of the problem formulation.

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arXiv2025

Tikhonov regularized exterior penalty methods for hierarchical variational inequalities

We consider nested variational inequalities con- sisting in a (upper-level) variational inequality whose feasible set is given by the solution set of another (lower-level) variational inequality. This class of hierarchical equilibrium contains a wealth of important applications, including purely hierarchical convex bilevel optimization problems and certain multi-follower games. Working within a real Hilbert space setting, we develop a double loop prox-penalization algorithm with strong conver- gence guarantees towards a solution of the nested VI problem. We present various application that fit into our framework and present also some preliminary numerical results.

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arXiv2025

Complexity guarantees for risk-neutral generalized Nash equilibrium problems

In this paper, we address \ac{SGNEP} seeking with risk-neutral agents. Our main contribution lies the development of a stochastic variance-reduced gradient (SVRG) technique, modified to contend with general sample spaces, within a stochastic forward-backward-forward splitting scheme for resolving structured monotone inclusion problems. This stochastic scheme is a double-loop method, in which the mini-batch gradient estimator is computed periodically in the outer loop, while only cheap sampling is required in a frequently activated inner loop, thus achieving significant speed-ups when sampling costs cannot be overlooked. The algorithm is fully distributed and it guarantees almost sure convergence under appropriate batch size and strong monotonicity assumptions. Moreover, it exhibits a linear rate with possible biased estimators, which is rather mild and imposed in many simulation-based optimization schemes. Under monotone regimes, the expectation of the gap function of an averaged iterate diminishes at a suitable sublinear rate while the sample-complexity of computing an $\epsilon$-solution is provably $\mathcal{O}(\epsilon^{-3})$. A numerical study on a class of networked Cournot games reflects the performance of our proposed algorithm.

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arXiv2025

Asymptotic behavior of penalty dynamics for constrained variational inequalities

We propose a comprehensive framework for solving constrained variational inequalities via various classes of evolution equations displaying multi-scale aspects. In an infinite-dimensional Hilbertian framework, the class of dynamical systems we propose combine Tikhonov regularization and exterior penalization terms in order to induce strong convergence of trajectories to least norm solutions in the constrained domain. Our construction thus unifies the literature on regularization methods and penalty-based dynamical systems. An extension to a full splitting formulation of the constrained domain is also provided, with associated weak convergence results involving the Attouch-Czarnecki condition.

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arXiv2024

Derivative-free stochastic bilevel optimization for inverse problems

Inverse problems are key issues in several scientific areas, including signal processing and medical imaging. Data-driven approaches for inverse problems aim for learning model and regularization parameters from observed data samples, and investigate their generalization properties when confronted with unseen data. This approach dictates a statistical approach to inverse problems, calling for stochastic optimization methods. In order to learn model and regularisation parameters simultaneously, we develop in this paper a stochastic bilevel optimization approach in which the lower level problem represents a variational reconstruction method formulated as a convex non-smooth optimization problem, depending on the observed sample. The upper level problem represents the learning task of the regularisation parameters. Combining the lower level and the upper level problem leads to a stochastic non-smooth and non-convex optimization problem, for which standard gradient-based methods are not straightforward to implement. Instead, we develop a unified and flexible methodology, building on a derivative-free approach, which allows us to solve the bilevel optimization problem only with samples of the objective function values. We perform a complete complexity analysis of this scheme. Numerical results on signal denoising and experimental design demonstrate the computational efficiency and the generalization properties of our method.

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arXiv2024

An Online Feasible Point Method for Benign Generalized Nash Equilibrium Problems

We consider a repeatedly played generalized Nash equilibrium game. This induces a multi-agent online learning problem with joint constraints. An important challenge in this setting is that the feasible set for each agent depends on the simultaneous moves of the other agents and, therefore, varies over time. As a consequence, the agents face time-varying constraints, which are not adversarial but rather endogenous to the system. Prior work in this setting focused on convergence to a feasible solution in the limit via integrating the constraints in the objective as a penalty function. However, no existing work can guarantee that the constraints are satisfied for all iterations while simultaneously guaranteeing convergence to a generalized Nash equilibrium. This is a problem of fundamental theoretical interest and practical relevance. In this work, we introduce a new online feasible point method. Under the assumption that limited communication between the agents is allowed, this method guarantees feasibility. We identify the class of benign generalized Nash equilibrium problems, for which the convergence of our method to the equilibrium is guaranteed. We set this class of benign generalized Nash equilibrium games in context with existing definitions and illustrate our method with examples.

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arXiv2024

Barrier Algorithms for Constrained Non-Convex Optimization

In this paper we theoretically show that interior-point methods based on self-concordant barriers possess favorable global complexity beyond their standard application area of convex optimization. To do that we propose first- and second-order methods for non-convex optimization problems with general convex set constraints and linear constraints. Our methods attain a suitably defined class of approximate first- or second-order KKT points with the worst-case iteration complexity similar to unconstrained problems, namely $O(\varepsilon^{-2})$ (first-order) and $O(\varepsilon^{-3/2})$ (second-order), respectively.

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arXiv2024

A Gauss-Seidel method for solving multi-leader-multi-follower games

We design a computational approach to find equilibria in a class of Nash games possessing a hierarchical structure. By using tools from mixed-integer optimization and the characterization of variational equilibria in terms of the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions, we propose a mixed-integer game formulation for solving this challenging class of problems. Besides providing an equivalent reformulation, we design a proximal Gauss--Seidel method with global convergence guarantees in case the game enjoys a potential structure. We finally corroborate the numerical performance of the algorithm on a novel instance of the ride-hail market problem.

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arXiv2024

Tikhonov regularized exterior penalty dynamics for constrained variational inequalities

Solving equilibrium problems under constraints is an important problem in optimization and optimal control. In this context an important practical challenge is the efficient incorporation of constraints. We develop a continuous-time method for solving constrained variational inequalities based on a new penalty regulated dynamical system in a general potentially infinite-dimensional Hilbert space. In order to obtain strong convergence of the issued trajectory of our method, we incorporate an explicit Tikhonov regularization parameter in our method, leading to a class of time-varying monotone inclusion problems featuring multiscale aspects. Besides strong convergence, we illustrate the practical efficiency of our developed method in solving constrained min-max problems.

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arXiv2023

A regularized variance-reduced modified extragradient method for stochastic hierarchical games

We consider an N-player hierarchical game in which the i-th player's objective comprises of an expectation-valued term, parametrized by rival decisions, and a hierarchical term. Such a framework allows for capturing a broad range of stochastic hierarchical optimization problems, Stackelberg equilibrium problems, and leader-follower games. We develop an iteratively regularized and smoothed variance-reduced modified extragradient framework for iteratively approaching hierarchical equilibria in a stochastic setting. We equip our analysis with rate statements, complexity guarantees, and almost-sure convergence results. We then extend these statements to settings where the lower-level problem is solved inexactly and provide the corresponding rate and complexity statements. Our model framework encompasses many game theoretic equilibrium problems studied in the context of power markets. We present a realistic application to the virtual power plants, emphasizing the role of hierarchical decision making and regularization.

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arXiv2022

Random block coordinate methods for inconsistent convex optimisation problems

We develop a novel randomised block coordinate primal-dual algorithm for a class of non-smooth ill-posed convex programs. Lying in the midway between the celebrated Chambolle-Pock primal-dual algorithm and Tseng's accelerated proximal gradient method, we establish global convergence of the last iterate as well optimal $O(1/k)$ and $O(1/k^{2})$ complexity rates in the convex and strongly convex case, respectively, $k$ being the iteration count. Motivated by the increased complexity in the control of distribution level electric power systems, we test the performance of our method on a second-order cone relaxation of an AC-OPF problem. Distributed control is achieved via the distributed locational marginal prices (DLMPs), which are obtained \revise{as} dual variables in our optimisation framework.

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