EUROPT 2025
Abstract Submission

249. Provable Reduction in Communication Rounds for Non-Smooth Convex Federated Learning

Invited abstract in session MD-2: Optimization in machine Learning , stream Nonsmooth and nonconvex optimization.

Monday, 16:30-18:30
Room: B100/7011

Authors (first author is the speaker)

1. Karlo Palenzuela
Computing Science, Umeå University
2. Ali Dadras
Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, Umeå university
3. Alp Yurtsever
Umeå University

Abstract

Multiple local steps are key to communication-efficient federated learning. However, theoretical guarantees for such algorithms, without data heterogeneity-bounding assumptions, have been lacking in general non-smooth convex problems. Leveraging projection-efficient optimization methods, we propose FedMLS, a federated learning algorithm with provable improvements from multiple local steps. FedMLS attains an $\epsilon$-suboptimal solution in $\mathcal{O}(1/\epsilon)$ communication rounds, requiring a total of $\mathcal{O}(1/\epsilon^2)$ stochastic subgradient oracle calls.

Keywords

Status: accepted


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