Linear Convergence of a Unified Primal--Dual Algorithm for Convex--Concave Saddle Point Problems with Quadratic Growth

Abstract: In this paper, we study saddle point (SP) problems, focusing on convex-concave optimization involving functions that satisfy either two-sided quadratic functional growth (QFG) or two-sided quadratic gradient growth (QGG)--novel conditions tailored specifically for SP problems as extensions of quadratic growth conditions in minimization. These conditions relax the traditional requirement of strong convexity-strong concavity, thereby encompassing a broader class of problems. We propose a generalized accelerated primal-dual (GAPD) algorithm to solve SP problems with non-bilinear objective functions, unifying and extending existing methods. We prove that our method achieves a linear convergence rate under these relaxed conditions. Additionally, we provide examples of structured SP problems that satisfy either two-sided QFG or QGG, demonstrating the practical applicability and relevance of our approach.