Automated algorithm design for convex optimization problems with linear equality constraints

Abstract

Synthesis of optimization algorithms typically follows a {\em design-then-analyze\/} approach, which can obscure fundamental performance limits and hinder the systematic development of algorithms that operate near these limits. Recently, a framework grounded in robust control theory has emerged as a powerful tool for automating algorithm synthesis. By integrating design and analysis stages, fundamental performance bounds are revealed and synthesis of algorithms that achieve them is enabled. In this paper, we apply this framework to design algorithms for solving strongly convex optimization problems with linear equality constraints. Our approach yields a single-loop, gradient-based algorithm whose convergence rate is independent of the condition number of the constraint matrix. This improves upon the best known rate within the same algorithm class, which depends on the product of the condition numbers of the objective function and the constraint matrix.