arXiv:2606.06722cs.LG2026-06中稿 · ICML

提出大步长训练新理论,让梯度下降从一开始就稳定高效。

Flatland: The Adventures of Gradient Descent with Large Step Sizes

  • 基于局部Lipschitz条件定义大步长,无需全局平滑性假设。
  • 步长与尖锐度乘积始终高于2,损失非单调下降且可逼近全局最平区域。
  • 揭示过早进入平坦区反而损害泛化,自稳机制提升训练成功率。

神经网络训练中目标函数通常不具全局L-光滑性,导致难以确定梯度下降(GD)收敛的最大步长。本文通过仅依赖梯度的局部Lipschitz(或Hölder)连续性,提出统一的大步长定义,解决这一长期开放问题。设计了一类一阶自适应方法,理论上保证大步长运行,使训练从初始即处于边缘稳定性(EoS)状态:损失非单调下降,步长与尖锐度(海森矩阵最大特征值)乘积始终高于阈值2。该方法可将尖锐度最小化至全局最优。出乎意料的是,过早进入全局平坦区域会减缓收敛并损害泛化能力。基于自稳性论证,允许GD进入略更尖锐的山谷,成功将原本失败的训练转为高效成功。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

The training of neural networks often entails objective functions that are not globally $L$-smooth. For these functions, it is both theoretically and practically difficult to reply to the question: what is the largest possible step size that ensures the convergence of gradient descent (GD)? We address this longstanding open question in deep learning by providing a unifying definition of "large" step sizes that requires only local Lipschitz (or even Hölder) continuity of the gradient. We design first-order adaptive methods that provably yield large step sizes and show that they operate at the edge of stability (EoS) right from the start of the training. In particular, the loss decreases nonmonotonically and the product between the step size and sharpness, i.e., the largest eigenvalue of the Hessian, stays above the EoS threshold of 2 throughout training. Using our method, we are also able to minimize the sharpness all the way down to its global minimum. Contrary to expectation, we find that encountering globally-flat regions too early in the training may both slow down convergence and jeopardize the generalization ability of the network. Exploiting a self-stabilization argument, we allow GD to enter slightly sharper valleys and turn unsuccessful training runs into very successful ones.

梯度下降优化器边缘稳定性神经网络

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