Dual Dynamic Programming with cut selection: convergence proof and numerical experiments

Abstract

We consider convex optimization problems formulated using dynamic programming equations. Such problems can be solved using the Dual Dynamic Programming algorithm combined with the Level 1 cut selection strategy or the Territory algorithm to select the most relevant Benders cuts. We propose a limited memory variant of Level 1 and show the convergence of DDP combined with the Territory algorithm, Level 1 or its variant for nonlinear optimization problems. In the special case of linear programs, we show convergence in a finite number of iterations. Numerical simulations illustrate the interest of our variant and show that it can be much quicker than a simplex algorithm on some large instances of portfolio selection and inventory problems.