神经网络通过全局低秩、局部全秩的动态协同更新实现高效算法学习。
Global Low-Rank, Local Full-Rank: The Holographic Encoding of Learned Algorithms
- 学习过程在全局低维子空间中演化,但各参数矩阵保持全秩。
- 仅需3-5个轨迹主成分即可恢复95%以上最终准确率。
- 适合研究模型压缩、可解释性与神经网络计算编码机制的人阅读。
Grokking——即长期训练后从记忆到泛化的突变现象——与学习动态中低维结构的出现相关。然而神经网络参数存在于极高维空间中。低维学习过程如何产生抗低维压缩的解?我们在多任务模97算术问题中研究该问题,使用共享主干Transformer,为加法、乘法及二次运算分别配置独立头。在三个模型规模(315K–2.2M参数)和五种权重衰减设置下,比较三种重构方法:逐矩阵SVD、联合跨矩阵SVD和轨迹PCA。所有条件下,grokking轨迹被限制在2–6维全局子空间内,而单个权重矩阵仍保持有效全秩。仅用3–5个轨迹主成分即可恢复超过95%的最终准确率,而逐矩阵与联合SVD在低于全秩时均失效。即使静态分解能捕获大部分谱能量,仍会破坏任务相关结构。结果表明,学习到的算法通过跨所有矩阵的动态协调更新编码,而非局部低秩成分。我们称之为全息编码原则:已习得的解在学习方向空间中全局低秩,但在参数空间中局部全秩,对压缩、可解释性及理解神经网络如何编码计算具有重要意义。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
Grokking -- the abrupt transition from memorization to generalization after extended training -- has been linked to the emergence of low-dimensional structure in learning dynamics. Yet neural network parameters inhabit extremely high-dimensional spaces. How can a low-dimensional learning process produce solutions that resist low-dimensional compression? We investigate this question in multi-task modular arithmetic, training shared-trunk Transformers with separate heads for addition, multiplication, and a quadratic operation modulo 97. Across three model scales (315K--2.2M parameters) and five weight decay settings, we compare three reconstruction methods: per-matrix SVD, joint cross-matrix SVD, and trajectory PCA. Across all conditions, grokking trajectories are confined to a 2--6 dimensional global subspace, while individual weight matrices remain effectively full-rank. Reconstruction from 3--5 trajectory PCs recovers over 95\% of final accuracy, whereas both per-matrix and joint SVD fail at sub-full rank. Even when static decompositions capture most spectral energy, they destroy task-relevant structure. These results show that learned algorithms are encoded through dynamically coordinated updates spanning all matrices, rather than localized low-rank components. We term this the holographic encoding principle: grokked solutions are globally low-rank in the space of learning directions but locally full-rank in parameter space, with implications for compression, interpretability, and understanding how neural networks encode computation.
Thank you to arXiv for use of its open access interoperability. PaperDance 不是 arXiv 官方产品;中文卡片由大模型生成,请以原文为准。