SGD's performance improves with critical batch size, minimizing SFO complexity.
problem Optimizing SGD's performance with batch size and learning rate.
method Analysis of SGD using constant and decaying learning rates, focusing on batch size effects.
result SGD with critical batch size minimizes SFO complexity.
Increasing the batch size is a popular way to speed up neural network training, but beyond some critical batch size, larger batch sizes yield diminishing returns. In this work, we study how the critical batch size changes based on properties of the optimization algorithm, including acceleration and preconditioning, thr…
We determine the critical batch size for large language models and find it scales with data size, not model size.
problem Determining the optimal batch size for large-scale model training.
method We propose a measure of critical batch size, pre-trained models, and systematic hyper-parameter sweeps.
result The critical batch size scales primarily with data size, not model size.
A new scaling law predicts optimal batch size for training models.
problem Finding the optimal batch size for training models efficiently.
method Proposed a three-term scaling law that considers model size, training data, training steps, and batch size.
result The three-term law accurately recovers the optimal batch size and can be robustly fit with fewer training runs.
Seesaw optimizes training by balancing learning rate and batch size, accelerating model pretraining.
problem Optimizing training efficiency for large language models with adaptive optimizers.
method Develops a principled framework for batch-size scheduling, introducing Seesaw which multiplies learning rate by 1/√2 and doubles batch size.
result Empirically, Seesaw reduces wall-clock time by approximately 36% compared to cosine decay, matching theoretical limits.
New analysis reveals batch size effects on stochastic conditional gradient methods.
problem Understanding the role of batch size in stochastic conditional gradient methods.
method Deriving a new analysis focusing on momentum-based stochastic conditional gradient algorithms (e.g., Scion).
result Increasing batch size initially improves optimization accuracy but can degrade performance beyond a critical threshold.
In this paper we aim to formally explain the phenomenon of fast convergence of SGD observed in modern machine learning. The key observation is that most modern learning architectures are over-parametrized and are trained to interpolate the data by driving the empirical loss (classification and regression) close to zero…
AdAdaGrad optimizes batch sizes for deep learning models, reducing the generalization gap.
problem The generalization gap between large-batch and small-batch training in deep learning.
method AdAdaGrad introduces adaptive batch size strategies derived from adaptive sampling methods.
result AdAdaGradNorm converges to a first-order stationary point with a rate of O(1/K) in K iterations.
We propose an adaptive optimization method for deep learning that dynamically adjusts batch size.
problem Optimizing deep learning models with varying sensitivity to batch size selection.
method Adaptive regularization with dynamically determined stochastic batch size based on gradient norms.
result Our method outperforms state-of-the-art optimization algorithms in generalization and robustness.
Muon optimizes training efficiency by improving data retention at large batch sizes.
problem Improving training efficiency and data retention at large batch sizes.
method Introducing Muon, a second-order optimizer, and combining it with muP for efficient hyperparameter transfer.
result Muon outperforms AdamW in retaining data efficiency at large batch sizes, enabling more economical training.
For large scale on-line inference problems the update strategy is critical for performance. We derive an adaptive scan Gibbs sampler that optimizes the update frequency by selecting an optimum mini-batch size. We demonstrate performance of our adaptive batch-size Gibbs sampler by comparing it against the collapsed Gibb…
Adam optimizer's bias is influenced by mini-batch size and momentum hyperparameters.
problem Understanding how Adam's implicit bias is affected by mini-batch size and momentum parameters.
method Theoretical framework to analyze mini-batch noise's impact on Adam's memory and bias.
result The magnitude of anti-regularization by memory depends on batch size and momentum hyperparameters.
Adam's generalization performance is improved by batch size and weight decay in neural networks.
problem Understanding how batch size and weight decay affect Adam's generalization in neural networks.
method Theoretical analysis of two-layer over-parameterized CNNs on image data.
result Adam's mini-batch variants can achieve near-zero test error, unlike full-batch Adam.
In stochastic optimization, using large batch sizes during training can leverage parallel resources to produce faster wall-clock training times per training epoch. However, for both training loss and testing error, recent results analyzing large batch Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) have found sharp diminishing retur…
Stochastic momentum methods trade compute efficiency for serial runtime.
problem Stochastic momentum methods trade compute efficiency for serial runtime.
method Stochastic HB and ASGD for consistent linear regression with Gaussian covariates.
result HB preserves SGD-level CE over a larger batch-size window, allowing larger batches to reduce serial runtime until HB reaches its deterministic accelerated scale.
New framework optimizes deep learning training by deferring large batch sizes to late stages.
problem Optimizing batch size scheduling for deep learning training efficiency.
method Introduced the functional scaling law (FSL) framework to analyze and optimize batch size scheduling.
result Large batch sizes can be deferred to late training stages without sacrificing performance.
Improved robustness in optimization methods using second-order information.
problem Scalability and sensitivity to mini-batch size in optimization methods.
method Mini-Batch Stochastic Variance-Reduced Newton (extttMb−SVRN) algorithm incorporating partial second-order information. result Achieves a fast linear convergence rate independent of mini-batch size for large data sizes.
New insights explain speedup saturation in distributed learning with large batches and delays.
problem Understanding and optimizing speedup in distributed learning with large batches and delays.
method Theoretical analysis of strongly convex, convex, and non-convex settings, considering data sparsity.
result Identification of a data-dependent parameter explaining speedup saturation in both batch size and gradient staleness.
Training deep neural networks with Stochastic Gradient Descent, or its variants, requires careful choice of both learning rate and batch size. While smaller batch sizes generally converge in fewer training epochs, larger batch sizes offer more parallelism and hence better computational efficiency. We have developed a n…
Determining the appropriate batch size for mini-batch gradient descent is always time consuming as it often relies on grid search. This paper considers a resizable mini-batch gradient descent (RMGD) algorithm based on a multi-armed bandit for achieving best performance in grid search by selecting an appropriate batch s…
Riemannian stochastic gradient descent converges faster with increasing batch size.
problem Improving convergence rate of Riemannian stochastic gradient descent.
method Theoretical analysis and numerical investigation of increasing batch size effects.
result Riemannian stochastic gradient descent converges faster with increasing batch size.
A new method SEBS optimizes SGD batch size for better performance.
problem Optimizing batch size for SGD to balance training speed and generalization.
method SEBS method uses a multi-stage geometric batch size enlargement scheme.
result SEBS reduces parameter updates without increasing generalization error.
Large batch sizes reduce gradient variance in DP-SGD, improving privacy.
problem Understanding why large batch sizes work in DP-SGD.
method Decomposed total gradient variance into subsampling and noise-induced variances, proving batch size independence in the limit.
result Large batch sizes reduce effective total gradient variance, improving privacy in DP-SGD.
Adaptive batch size schedules improve language model training efficiency and generalization.
problem Dilemma of choosing batch sizes in large-scale model training.
method General-purpose adaptive batch size schedules compatible with data and model parallelism.
result Adaptive batch size schedules outperform constant batch sizes and heuristic warmup schedules.
New statistical properties for mini-batch Cox-NN optimization.
problem Optimizing deep Cox neural networks using mini-batches.
method Developed mini-batch maximum partial-likelihood estimator (mb-MPLE) for Cox-NN.
result mb-MPLE is consistent and achieves optimal convergence rate.
Adaptive batch sizes improve active learning efficiency and flexibility.
problem Fixed batch sizes in active learning are inefficient due to dynamic cost-speed trade-offs.
method Probabilistic Numerics framework that adaptively changes batch sizes based on integration error and precision objectives.
result Significant enhancement in learning efficiency and flexibility across various applications.
When using active learning, smaller batch sizes are typically more efficient from a learning efficiency perspective. However, in practice due to speed and human annotator considerations, the use of larger batch sizes is necessary. While past work has shown that larger batch sizes decrease learning efficiency from a lea…
Mini-batch stochastic gradient descent and variants thereof have become standard for large-scale empirical risk minimization like the training of neural networks. These methods are usually used with a constant batch size chosen by simple empirical inspection. The batch size significantly influences the behavior of the …
We make policy optimization algorithms batch size-invariant by decoupling proximal and behavior policies.
problem Some policy optimization algorithms do not have batch size-invariance, leading to inefficiencies.
method We decouple the proximal policy from the behavior policy to achieve batch size-invariance.
result Our approach makes policy optimization algorithms more efficient and allows them to use stale data more effectively.
Study SGD dynamics in high-dimensional models, revealing consistent behavior across different batch sizes and learning rates.
problem Understanding SGD dynamics in high-dimensional multi-index models.
method Asymptotic analysis of SGD, developing mean-field equations and Gaussian diffusion approximations.
result Consistent SGD dynamics across different batch sizes and learning rates, distinct from gradient flow and online SGD.
Empirical study on SGD hyperparameters and adversarial robustness.
problem Effect of SGD hyperparameters on adversarial robustness and generalization.
method Empirical observation of learning rate, batch size, and momentum effects on adversarial robustness and generalization.
result Constant learning rate to batch size ratio leads to good generalization and almost constant adversarial robustness.
Adaptive SGD learns optimal batch size for strong convex functions.
problem Finding optimal batch size for SGD in practice.
method Adaptive SGD method that learns optimal batch size.
result Adaptive SGD exhibits nearly optimal performance in experiments.
Choosing appropriate step sizes is critical for reducing the computational cost of training large-scale neural network models. Mini-batch sub-sampling (MBSS) is often employed for computational tractability. However, MBSS introduces a sampling error, that can manifest as a bias or variance in a line search. This is bec…
Batch normalisation doesn't affect variational inference but fails for larger batch sizes.
problem Failure of Monte Carlo Batch Normalisation (MCBN) for capturing epistemic uncertainty in larger batch sizes.
method Investigated MCBN as an approximate inference technique for Bayesian neural networks, showing its limitations and providing insights for improvement.
result For larger batch sizes, MCBN fails to capture epistemic uncertainty, requiring the batch size to be a variational parameter.
Adaptive batch sizes improve local gradient methods in distributed training.
problem Communication bottlenecks in distributed deep learning.
method Adaptive batch size strategies for local gradient methods.
result Adaptive batch sizes reduce minibatch gradient variance and improve training efficiency.
Analysis of SGD+M convergence rates in high dimensions with batch size considerations.
problem Understanding convergence rates of SGD+M in high-dimensional settings.
method Analyzing the dynamics of SGD+M on least squares problems with large batch sizes and dimensions.
result Identifies the implicit conditioning ratio (ICR) that regulates SGD+M's acceleration and convergence rates.
SGD batch size affects autoencoder global minima sparsity and sharpness.
problem Investigating how batch size impacts autoencoder learning.
method Non-convex autoencoder training with SGD, varying batch sizes.
result SGD batch size influences global minimum sparsity and sharpness.
Standard optimizers perform as well as LARS and LAMB at large batch sizes.
problem Comparing optimizers for neural network training at large batch sizes.
method Used standard optimizers like Nesterov momentum and Adam to match or exceed LARS and LAMB results.
result Standard optimizers can match or exceed LARS and LAMB at large batch sizes.
Variance-reduced algorithms, although achieve great theoretical performance, can run slowly in practice due to the periodic gradient estimation with a large batch of data. Batch-size adaptation thus arises as a promising approach to accelerate such algorithms. However, existing schemes either apply prescribed batch-siz…
This paper explores the limits of large batch sizes in deep learning.
problem Understanding the optimal batch size for deep learning models.
method Detailed numerical optimization and experimental analysis of large batch sizes.
result Improvement of 18% top-1 test accuracy with an optimized batch size recipe.
Batch Normalization (BN) uses mini-batch statistics to normalize the activations during training, introducing dependence between mini-batch elements. This dependency can hurt the performance if the mini-batch size is too small, or if the elements are correlated. Several alternatives, such as Batch Renormalization and G…
Modern deep neural network training is typically based on mini-batch stochastic gradient optimization. While the use of large mini-batches increases the available computational parallelism, small batch training has been shown to provide improved generalization performance and allows a significantly smaller memory footp…
ABS dynamically adjusts batch size based on policy stability, improving RL performance.
problem Diminishing returns with large batch sizes in RL due to non-stationary data.
method Adaptive Batch Scaling (ABS) with Behavioral Divergence metric.
result Larger batch sizes can improve RL performance, contrary to conventional wisdom.
Momentum affects optimization differently at small vs large batch sizes near instability.
problem Understanding how momentum impacts optimization near the edge of stability.
method Demonstrated through batch-size dependent behavior of SGD with momentum.
result Momentum operates in two distinct regimes: amplifying stochastic fluctuations at small batch sizes and stabilizing at large batch sizes.
In an increasing number of domains it has been demonstrated that deep learning models can be trained using relatively large batch sizes without sacrificing data efficiency. However the limits of this massive data parallelism seem to differ from domain to domain, ranging from batches of tens of thousands in ImageNet to …
In this paper we study a family of variance reduction methods with randomized batch size---at each step, the algorithm first randomly chooses the batch size and then selects a batch of samples to conduct a variance-reduced stochastic update. We give the linear convergence rate for this framework for composite functions…
New method ensures consistent inference across different tensor parallel sizes for large language models.
problem Non-deterministic inference in large language models due to inconsistent reduction orders across GPUs.
method Tree-Based Invariant Kernels (TBIK) that align intra- and inter-GPU reduction orders through a unified hierarchical binary tree structure.
result Bit-wise identical results across different tensor parallel sizes for RL training.
New method improves model accuracy in Byzantine-robust distributed learning by optimizing batch size.
problem Reduces model accuracy drop due to large variance of stochastic gradients in Byzantine-robust distributed learning.
method Proposes ByzSGDnm, a novel BRDL method that uses normalized momentum to mitigate accuracy drop in large batch sizes.
result The optimal batch size increases with the fraction of Byzantine workers, leading to better model accuracy under Byzantine attacks.