aiqbench analysis
This research establishes optimal generalization rates for gradient descent in deep ReLU networks, resolving a gap where previous methods either yielded suboptimal convergence or suffered from exponential depth dependence. By introducing a novel control of activation patterns near a reference model, the authors achieve polynomial depth scaling that aligns with minimax optimal bounds under NTK separability assumptions. This theoretical advance provides a sharper Rademacher complexity bound, offering a more rigorous foundation for understanding the generalization capabilities of standard deep learning architectures.
Optimal Rates for Generalization of Gradient Descent for Deep ReLU Classification
arXiv:2510.02779v4 Announce Type: replace Abstract: Recent advances have significantly improved our understanding of the generalization performance of gradient descent (GD) methods in deep neural networks. A natural and fundamental question is whether GD can achieve generalization rates comparable to the minimax optimal rates established in the kernel setting. Existing results either yield suboptimal rates of $O(1/\sqrt{n})$, or focus on networks with smooth activation functions, incurring exponential dependence on network depth $L$. In this work, we establish optimal generalization rates for GD with deep ReLU networks by carefully trading off optimization and generalization errors, achieving only polynomial dependence on depth. Specifically, under the assumption that the data are NTK separable from the margin $\gamma$, we prove an excess risk rate of $\widetilde{O}(L^6 / (n \gamma^2))$, which aligns with the optimal SVM-type rate $\widetilde{O}(1 / (n \gamma^2))$ up to depth-dependent factors. A key technical contribution is our novel control of activation patterns near a reference model, enabling a sharper Rademacher complexity bound for deep ReLU networks trained with gradient descent.
Abstract:Recent advances have significantly improved our understanding of the generalization performance of gradient descent (GD) methods in deep neural networks. A natural and fundamental question is whether GD can achieve generalization rates comparable to the minimax optimal rates established in the kernel setting. Existing results either yield suboptimal rates of $O(1/\sqrt{n})$, or focus on networks with smooth activation functions, incurring exponential dependence on network depth $L$. In this work, we establish optimal generalization rates for GD with deep ReLU networks by carefully trading off optimization and generalization errors, achieving only polynomial dependence on depth. Specifically, under the assumption that the data are NTK separable from the margin $\gamma$, we prove an excess risk rate of $\widetilde{O}(L^6 / (n \gamma^2))$, which aligns with the optimal SVM-type rate $\widetilde{O}(1 / (n \gamma^2))$ up to depth-dependent factors. A key technical contribution is our novel control of activation patterns near a reference model, enabling a sharper Rademacher complexity bound for deep ReLU networks trained with gradient descent.
Machine Learning (cs.LG)
arXiv:2510.02779 [cs.LG]
(or arXiv:2510.02779v4 [cs.LG] for this version)
Full text under the publisher's open licence · 174 words
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