New findings show mini-batch SGD operates in a 'Edge of Stochastic Stability' regime.
problem Understanding the stability and convergence of mini-batch SGD.
method Analyzing the mini-batch Hessian and its directional curvature.
result Mini-batch SGD operates in a different stability regime (Edge of Stochastic Stability) compared to full-batch GD.
New research shows many batch selection methods for training work just as well as full batch training.
problem Finding optimal batch selection methods for training.
method Analysis of mini-batch Gradient Descent (GD) and Stochastic GD (SGD) with various batch selection rules.
result All mini-batch schedules, including deterministic ones, generalize optimally for smooth Lipschitz-convex/nonconvex/strongly-convex loss functions.
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.
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.
This work studies the implicit bias of mini-batch SGD in classification.
problem Understanding the implicit bias of mini-batch SGD in multi-class classification.
method Characterizes how batch size, momentum, and variance reduction affect convergence and max-margin behavior under different norms.
result Momentum enables small-batch convergence to an approximate max-margin solution, while variance reduction recovers the exact full-batch bias.
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.
With the large rising of complex data, the nonconvex models such as nonconvex loss function and nonconvex regularizer are widely used in machine learning and pattern recognition. In this paper, we propose a class of mini-batch stochastic ADMMs (alternating direction method of multipliers) for solving large-scale noncon…
Paper develops a method to construct confidence regions for model parameters using batch means method.
problem Constructing confidence regions for model parameters in stochastic gradient descent.
method Batch means method to cancel out covariance matrix, using Polyak-Ruppert averaging.
result Established process-level functional central limit theorem for stochastic gradient descent estimators.
The study analyzes batched methods for early stopping in stochastic multi-armed bandits.
problem Early stopping in stochastic multi-armed bandits with fixed confidence.
method Instance-dependent lower bounds and a general batched algorithm with upper bounds.
result Upper and lower bounds on the number of batches and sample complexity.
Paper accelerates L-BFGS with second-order info and stochastic batches.
problem Optimizing finite-sum minimization problems.
method Proposes L-BFGS with smooth gradient difference estimates and well-scaling initial Hessians.
result Achieves acceleration in both convex and nonconvex cases.
New algorithm SAGA++ improves on SAGA for faster convergence in stochastic batch size methods.
problem Optimizing convergence rate in stochastic variance reduction methods with batch size.
method Proposes SAGA++ algorithm with optimal average batch size considering cache/disk IO effects.
result SAGA++ outperforms SAGA and other solvers on real datasets.
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.
Mini-batch EM algorithm speeds up convergence for large datasets.
problem Efficiently processing large datasets in latent variable models.
method Proposes mini-batch version of Stochastic Approximation EM algorithm for exponential models.
result Converges under classical conditions with mini-batch sampling.
In this work, we investigate Batch Normalization technique and propose its probabilistic interpretation. We propose a probabilistic model and show that Batch Normalization maximazes the lower bound of its marginalized log-likelihood. Then, according to the new probabilistic model, we design an algorithm which acts cons…
A new batch ensemble method reduces regret in stochastic bandits.
problem Efficiently balancing exploration and exploitation in online RL.
method Proposes a batch ensemble scheme to achieve near-optimal regret.
result Proves near-optimal regret with a single parameter independent of variance.
We analyze how batch learning impacts bandit problems.
problem Impact of batch learning in stochastic bandits.
method Policy-agnostic regret analysis, upper and lower bounds demonstration.
result The impact of batch learning can be measured in terms of online behavior.
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.
Noise in SGD helps deep nets generalize better, even with smaller batch sizes.
problem The generalization benefit of using noise in SGD over large batch sizes.
method Carefully designed experiments and rigorous hyperparameter sweeps on various models.
result Small or moderately large batch sizes outperform very large batches on test sets.
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.
SWAP uses large mini-batches to train DNNs faster with good generalization.
problem Training deep neural networks with small mini-batches is time-consuming.
method SWAP computes an approximate solution with large mini-batches and refines it by averaging weights of multiple parallel models.
result SWAP trains models as well as small-batch training but in significantly less time.
SNGM improves large-batch training accuracy.
problem Improving generalization in large-batch training.
method Stochastic Normalized Gradient Descent with Momentum.
result SNGM achieves better test accuracy than MSGD and other large-batch methods.
New streaming methods improve convergence rates for optimization problems.
problem Optimizing large-scale, sequential data problems.
method Time-varying mini-batches and Polyak-Ruppert averaging for gradient-based algorithms.
result Time-varying mini-batches and averaging achieve optimal convergence and variance reduction.
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.
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 …
New method reduces variance in complex probabilistic model optimization.
problem High variance in stochastic optimisation of complex models.
method Use recognition network to approximate optimal control variate for each mini-batch.
result Sub-optimal variance reduction is improved with new approach.
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.
We analyze the learning properties of the stochastic gradient method when multiple passes over the data and mini-batches are allowed. We study how regularization properties are controlled by the step-size, the number of passes and the mini-batch size. In particular, we consider the square loss and show that for a unive…
A simple method improves batch active learning without high compute.
problem Efficient batch active learning in machine learning.
method Adapting standard single-point acquisition strategies to batch.
result Simple strategy performs as well as advanced batch methods.
New algorithms for batched dueling bandits with improved regret bounds.
problem Batched dueling bandits with noisy pairwise comparisons.
method Developed algorithms for two settings: Condorcet winner and strong stochastic transitivity.
result Regret bounds match sequential bounds using only a logarithmic number of batches.
New method uses momentum to converge in DC optimization with small batches.
problem Lack of convergence properties for stochastic difference-of-convex optimization with small batch sizes.
method Introduces momentum to enable convergence under standard assumptions for any batch size.
result Proves convergence of the algorithm under smoothness and bounded variance assumptions.
Batched Neural Bandits reduces policy updates in sequential decision-making.
problem Sequential decision-making with batched policy changes.
method BatchNeuralUCB algorithm combining neural networks and optimism.
result Achieves similar regret as fully sequential version with fewer policy updates.
The paper analyzes time-dependent streaming data with biased gradient estimates and proposes improved stochastic optimization methods.
problem Stochastic optimization in a streaming setting with time-dependent and biased gradient estimates.
method Analysis of several first-order methods including SGD, mini-batch SGD, and time-varying mini-batch SGD, along with their Polyak-Ruppert averages.
result Time-varying mini-batch SGD methods can break long- and short-range dependence structures, and biased SGD methods can achieve comparable performance to their unbiased counterparts.
Theoretical justification for large batch SGD converging to flatter minima.
problem Understanding the convergence of large batch SGD to flatter minima.
method Theoretical analysis of SGD in finite-time and asymptotic regimes.
result SGD tends to converge to flatter minima regardless of batch size, but with different rates.
In this paper, we develop a new accelerated stochastic gradient method for efficiently solving the convex regularized empirical risk minimization problem in mini-batch settings. The use of mini-batches is becoming a golden standard in the machine learning community, because mini-batch settings stabilize the gradient es…
The study improves generalization in large-batch training by adding structured covariance noise to gradients.
problem Improving generalization in large-batch training while maintaining optimal convergence.
method Adding covariance noise to the gradients to improve generalization performance.
result The method improves generalization performance without degrading optimization performance and training duration.
Proposes reducing random error in stochastic optimization by variance regularization.
problem Random error accumulation in stochastic optimization algorithms.
method Regularizes learning-rate based on mini-batch variances.
result Speeds up convergence and stabilizes stochastic optimization.
We present a generic framework for trading off fidelity and cost in computing stochastic gradients when the costs of acquiring stochastic gradients of different quality are not known a priori. We consider a mini-batch oracle that distributes a limited query budget over a number of stochastic gradients and aggregates th…
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.
Stochastic dual coordinate ascent (SDCA) is an effective technique for solving regularized loss minimization problems in machine learning. This paper considers an extension of SDCA under the mini-batch setting that is often used in practice. Our main contribution is to introduce an accelerated mini-batch version of SDC…
Large batch training with DP-SGD reduces model performance due to implicit bias.
problem Large batch training with DP-SGD reduces model performance.
method The study analyzes the phenomenon of implicit bias in Noisy-SGD (DP-SGD without clipping) and its theoretical solutions for linear models.
result The implicit bias in large batch training with DP-SGD is amplified by additional noise, similar to SGD.
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.
We propose a projected semi-stochastic gradient descent method with mini-batch for improving both the theoretical complexity and practical performance of the general stochastic gradient descent method (SGD). We are able to prove linear convergence under weak strong convexity assumption. This requires no strong convexit…
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.
This paper uses antithetic sampling to reduce variance in stochastic gradient descent.
problem High variance in stochastic gradient descent slows down convergence.
method Antithetic sampling to make gradients negatively correlated.
result The proposed method accelerates convergence in machine learning applications.
New scheme adapts batch size for faster variance-reduced algorithms.
problem Slowness of variance-reduced algorithms due to large batch size.
method Eliminates backtracking line search, adapts batch size via history stochastic gradients.
result Significantly reduces overall complexity for SVRG and SARAH/SPIDER.
New insights into learning rates and batch sizes for neural networks using random matrix theory.
problem Understanding how batch size affects learning rates in neural networks.
method Random matrix theory applied to spiked, field-dependent random matrices.
result Analytical expressions for maximal learning rates as a function of batch size.
Study shows how algorithmic choices affect optimal batch sizes in neural networks.
problem Understanding how batch size impacts neural network training efficiency.
method Experiments and analysis of a simple quadratic model to study algorithmic choices.
result Preconditioned optimizers like Adam and K-FAC allow larger batch sizes before diminishing returns.
Large batch sizes don't improve training time for most models.
problem The inefficiency of large batch sizes in stochastic gradient descent.
method Empirical analysis of network training across various architectures and domains.
result Increasing batch size beyond a certain point does not reduce training time for either train or test loss.