1. A method for configuring a distributed processing system to solve an optimization problem, the method comprising the steps of: for each term of an optimization problem, selecting using a selector one of: (i) a constitutive relation element representing a first computation transforming a vector variable according to a stationarity condition, the stationarity condition maintaining a first cost function based on at least one of primal and dual decision variables constant to first order of variance of the primal and dual decision variables when the primal and dual decision variables vary within a functional constraint, the first computation corresponding to the term; and (ii) a linear interconnection element representing a second computation comprising an assignment or a combination according to a linear stationarity condition, the linear stationarity condition maintaining a second cost function based on at least one of the primal and dual decision variables constant to first order of variance of the primal and dual decision variables when the primal and dual decision variables vary within the functional constraint, the second computation transforming a first vector variable associated with the term into a second vector variable associated with the term, the selecting step comprising selecting at least one constitutive relation element and at least one linear interconnection element; programming a processing unit: (i) to configure in a distributed processing system a first processing module to implement at least one selected constitutive relation element, and (ii) to configure in the distributed processing system a second, different processing module to implement at least one of: (A) at least one selected linear interconnection element and (B) another selected constitutive relation element; asynchronously interconnecting in the distributed processing system each selected constitutive relation element and each selected linear interconnection element, an asynchronous delay associated with at least one asynchronous interconnection providing a speed improvement or cost reduction; and configuring the first processing module of the distributed processing system to implement a computation represented by at least one of a first constitutive relation element and a first linear interconnection element.