arXiv:2507.09093stat.MLcs.LG2025-07被引 3

提出新方法让随机梯度下降在重尾噪声下仍能稳定收敛,且性能接近轻尾情况。

Sharp High-Probability Rates for Nonlinear SGD under Heavy-Tailed Noise via Symmetrization

  • 通过噪声对称化设计新估计器,突破非对称重尾噪声限制。
  • 在无界矩条件下仍实现平方根收敛率和指数尾部衰减。
  • 适合高鲁棒性优化场景,如含异常值的机器学习训练。

研究非凸优化中带有重尾噪声的随机梯度下降(SGD)方法的高概率收敛性。针对重尾噪声,提出一个通用的非线性框架,涵盖符号、截断、归一化及其平滑版本等非线性操作。首个结果表明,非线性SGD(N-SGD)在任意具有无界矩和对称概率密度函数的噪声下,达到$ ilde{ ext{O}}(t^{-1/2})$的收敛速率,且具有指数衰减的尾部,表现媲美轻尾噪声下的线性SGD。为处理非对称噪声,提出两种新估计器:基于参考点无噪声梯度假设的对称梯度估计器(SGE),以及使用小批量估计无噪声梯度的迷你批次SGE(MSGE)。结合非线性框架后,得到N-SGE与N-MSGE,二者均实现相同收敛速率与指数尾部,适用于具有无界矩和满足弱技术条件的非对称噪声;其中N-MSGE还需噪声阶数$p \\(1,2]$的有界矩。相比假设噪声具有有界$p$阶矩的工作,本结果:1)基于新颖对称化方法;2)提供统一框架与更宽松的矩条件;3)证明了N-SGD与N-SGE的最优预言机复杂度,在$ p < 2 $时严格优于现有工作,而N-MSGE复杂度接近现有水平。相比假设对称噪声的工作,本研究:1)给出更精细分析与改进速率;2)支持状态依赖的对称噪声;3)将强保证拓展至非对称噪声。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

We study convergence in high-probability of SGD-type methods in non-convex optimization and the presence of heavy-tailed noise. To combat the heavy-tailed noise, a general black-box nonlinear framework is considered, subsuming nonlinearities like sign, clipping, normalization and their smooth counterparts. Our first result shows that nonlinear SGD (N-SGD) achieves the rate $\widetilde{\mathcal{O}}(t^{-1/2})$, for any noise with unbounded moments and a symmetric probability density function (PDF). Crucially, N-SGD has exponentially decaying tails, matching the performance of linear SGD under light-tailed noise. To handle non-symmetric noise, we propose two novel estimators, based on the idea of noise symmetrization. The first, dubbed Symmetrized Gradient Estimator (SGE), assumes a noiseless gradient at any reference point is available at the start of training, while the second, dubbed Mini-batch SGE (MSGE), uses mini-batches to estimate the noiseless gradient. Combined with the nonlinear framework, we get N-SGE and N-MSGE methods, respectively, both achieving the same convergence rate and exponentially decaying tails as N-SGD, while allowing for non-symmetric noise with unbounded moments and PDF satisfying a mild technical condition, with N-MSGE additionally requiring bounded noise moment of order $p \in (1,2]$. Compared to works assuming noise with bounded $p$-th moment, our results: 1) are based on a novel symmetrization approach; 2) provide a unified framework and relaxed moment conditions; 3) imply optimal oracle complexity of N-SGD and N-SGE, strictly better than existing works when $p < 2$, while the complexity of N-MSGE is close to existing works. Compared to works assuming symmetric noise with unbounded moments, we: 1) provide a sharper analysis and improved rates; 2) facilitate state-dependent symmetric noise; 3) extend the strong guarantees to non-symmetric noise.

优化算法重尾噪声收敛性分析非凸优化

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