The Adaptive Complexity of Finding a Stationary Point

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Zhou, Huanjian, Han, Andi, Takeda, Akiko, Sugiyama, Masashi
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Zhou, Huanjian
Han, Andi
Takeda, Akiko
Sugiyama, Masashi
author_facet Zhou, Huanjian
Han, Andi
Takeda, Akiko
Sugiyama, Masashi
contents In large-scale applications, such as machine learning, it is desirable to design non-convex optimization algorithms with a high degree of parallelization. In this work, we study the adaptive complexity of finding a stationary point, which is the minimal number of sequential rounds required to achieve stationarity given polynomially many queries executed in parallel at each round. For the high-dimensional case, i.e., $d = \widetildeΩ(\varepsilon^{-(2 + 2p)/p})$, we show that for any (potentially randomized) algorithm, there exists a function with Lipschitz $p$-th order derivatives such that the algorithm requires at least $\varepsilon^{-(p+1)/p}$ iterations to find an $\varepsilon$-stationary point. Our lower bounds are tight and show that even with $\mathrm{poly}(d)$ queries per iteration, no algorithm has better convergence rate than those achievable with one-query-per-round algorithms. In other words, gradient descent, the cubic-regularized Newton's method, and the $p$-th order adaptive regularization method are adaptively optimal. Our proof relies upon novel analysis with the characterization of the output for the hardness potentials based on a chain-like structure with random partition. For the constant-dimensional case, i.e., $d = Θ(1)$, we propose an algorithm that bridges grid search and gradient flow trapping, finding an approximate stationary point in constant iterations. Its asymptotic tightness is verified by a new lower bound on the required queries per iteration. We show there exists a smooth function such that any algorithm running with $Θ(\log (1/\varepsilon))$ rounds requires at least $\widetildeΩ((1/\varepsilon)^{(d-1)/2})$ queries per round. This lower bound is tight up to a logarithmic factor, and implies that the gradient flow trapping is adaptively optimal.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_09045
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The Adaptive Complexity of Finding a Stationary Point
Zhou, Huanjian
Han, Andi
Takeda, Akiko
Sugiyama, Masashi
Optimization and Control
Computational Complexity
Distributed, Parallel, and Cluster Computing
In large-scale applications, such as machine learning, it is desirable to design non-convex optimization algorithms with a high degree of parallelization. In this work, we study the adaptive complexity of finding a stationary point, which is the minimal number of sequential rounds required to achieve stationarity given polynomially many queries executed in parallel at each round. For the high-dimensional case, i.e., $d = \widetildeΩ(\varepsilon^{-(2 + 2p)/p})$, we show that for any (potentially randomized) algorithm, there exists a function with Lipschitz $p$-th order derivatives such that the algorithm requires at least $\varepsilon^{-(p+1)/p}$ iterations to find an $\varepsilon$-stationary point. Our lower bounds are tight and show that even with $\mathrm{poly}(d)$ queries per iteration, no algorithm has better convergence rate than those achievable with one-query-per-round algorithms. In other words, gradient descent, the cubic-regularized Newton's method, and the $p$-th order adaptive regularization method are adaptively optimal. Our proof relies upon novel analysis with the characterization of the output for the hardness potentials based on a chain-like structure with random partition. For the constant-dimensional case, i.e., $d = Θ(1)$, we propose an algorithm that bridges grid search and gradient flow trapping, finding an approximate stationary point in constant iterations. Its asymptotic tightness is verified by a new lower bound on the required queries per iteration. We show there exists a smooth function such that any algorithm running with $Θ(\log (1/\varepsilon))$ rounds requires at least $\widetildeΩ((1/\varepsilon)^{(d-1)/2})$ queries per round. This lower bound is tight up to a logarithmic factor, and implies that the gradient flow trapping is adaptively optimal.
title The Adaptive Complexity of Finding a Stationary Point
topic Optimization and Control
Computational Complexity
Distributed, Parallel, and Cluster Computing
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.09045