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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Pan, Jianting, Li, Ji'an, Yan, Ming
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.07156
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author Pan, Jianting
Li, Ji'an
Yan, Ming
author_facet Pan, Jianting
Li, Ji'an
Yan, Ming
contents Computing exact Optimal Transport (OT) distances for large-scale datasets is computationally prohibitive. While entropy-regularized alternatives offer speed, they sacrifice precision and frequently suffer from numerical instability in high-accuracy regimes. To address these limitations, we propose the Inexact Bregman Sparse Newton (IBSN) method, which efficiently solves the exact OT problems. Our approach utilizes a Bregman proximal point framework through a sequence of semi-dual subproblems. By solving these subproblems inexactly, we significantly reduce per-iteration complexity while maintaining a theoretical guarantee of convergence to the true optimal plan. To further accelerate the algorithm, we develop a sparse Newton-type solver for the subproblem and employ a Hessian sparsification strategy that drastically lowers memory and time costs without sacrificing accuracy. We provide rigorous theoretical guarantees for the global convergence of the algorithm. Extensive experiments demonstrate that IBSN consistently outperforms state-of-the-art methods in both computational speed and solution precision.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_07156
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Inexact Bregman Sparse Newton Method for Efficient Optimal Transport
Pan, Jianting
Li, Ji'an
Yan, Ming
Optimization and Control
Computing exact Optimal Transport (OT) distances for large-scale datasets is computationally prohibitive. While entropy-regularized alternatives offer speed, they sacrifice precision and frequently suffer from numerical instability in high-accuracy regimes. To address these limitations, we propose the Inexact Bregman Sparse Newton (IBSN) method, which efficiently solves the exact OT problems. Our approach utilizes a Bregman proximal point framework through a sequence of semi-dual subproblems. By solving these subproblems inexactly, we significantly reduce per-iteration complexity while maintaining a theoretical guarantee of convergence to the true optimal plan. To further accelerate the algorithm, we develop a sparse Newton-type solver for the subproblem and employ a Hessian sparsification strategy that drastically lowers memory and time costs without sacrificing accuracy. We provide rigorous theoretical guarantees for the global convergence of the algorithm. Extensive experiments demonstrate that IBSN consistently outperforms state-of-the-art methods in both computational speed and solution precision.
title Inexact Bregman Sparse Newton Method for Efficient Optimal Transport
topic Optimization and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.07156