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Storage Capacity and Solution Space Structure of Fully Connected Two-Layer Neural Networks with Generic Activation Functions


Core Concepts
The storage capacity of fully connected two-layer neural networks with general activation functions remains finite even in the infinite width limit, and the weights exhibit negative correlations leading to a division of labor. The system undergoes a phase transition from a permutation symmetric phase to a permutation symmetry broken phase as the dataset size increases.
Abstract

The authors analyze the structure of the solution space and the storage capacity of fully connected two-layer neural networks (FCMs) with general activation functions using the replica method from statistical physics.

Key highlights:

  • The storage capacity per parameter of FCMs remains finite even with infinite width, in contrast to previous results for networks with sign activation functions.
  • The weights of the network exhibit negative correlations, leading to a division of labor where different weights attempt to memorize different input-output pairs.
  • As the dataset size increases, the system undergoes a phase transition at a certain transition point where the permutation symmetry of weights is broken, resulting in the solution space splitting into disjoint regions.
  • The authors identify the dependence of this transition point and the storage capacity on the choice of activation function.
  • Numerical experiments training FCMs using gradient descent show that the algorithm can only find solutions up to significantly smaller dataset sizes compared to the theoretically derived storage capacity, due to the non-convexity of the solution space.

The findings provide insights into the influence of activation functions and network architecture on the structure of the solution space, which can inform the selection of appropriate models for specific objectives.

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Stats
The storage capacity per parameter of FCMs with ReLU activation is approximately 5.504 at κ = 0. The storage capacity per parameter of FCMs with erf activation is approximately 7.223 at κ = 0.
Quotes
"The storage capacity of a binary classification model is the maximum number of random input-output pairs per parameter that the model can learn. It is one of the indicators of the expressive power of machine learning models and is important for comparing the performance of various models." "Our results demonstrate that the storage capacity per parameter remains finite even with infinite width and that the weights of the network exhibit negative correlations, leading to a division of labor." "We identify the dependence of this transition point and the storage capacity on the choice of activation function. These findings contribute to understanding the influence of activation functions and the number of parameters on the structure of the solution space, potentially offering insights for selecting appropriate architectures based on specific objectives."

Deeper Inquiries

How do the findings on the storage capacity and solution space structure of two-layer FCMs extend to deeper neural network architectures

The findings on the storage capacity and solution space structure of two-layer FCMs can be extended to deeper neural network architectures by providing insights into the behavior of these networks as they increase in depth. While the specific analysis in the study focused on two-layer FCMs, the principles derived from the statistical mechanics analysis can be applied to deeper architectures. As neural networks become deeper, the complexity of the solution space and the challenges related to optimization increase. Understanding the storage capacity per parameter and the structure of the solution space in deeper architectures can help in designing more efficient training algorithms and architectures. The insights gained from analyzing two-layer FCMs can guide the exploration of storage capacity and solution space in networks with multiple hidden layers.

What are the implications of the negative weight correlations and division of labor on the generalization performance of FCMs

The negative weight correlations and division of labor observed in FCMs have implications for the generalization performance of these networks. The negative correlations between weights connected to the same input neuron indicate a form of specialization or division of labor within the network. Different weights focus on memorizing different input-output pairs, leading to a more efficient use of parameters and potentially enhancing the network's ability to generalize to unseen data. This division of labor can help in reducing overfitting by ensuring that different parts of the network specialize in capturing different aspects of the data distribution. By sharing the memorization load among different weights, the network can generalize better to new data points. The negative weight correlations and division of labor contribute to the network's ability to learn complex patterns while avoiding memorization of noise in the training data.

Can the insights from the statistical mechanics analysis be leveraged to design novel neural network architectures or training algorithms that can efficiently discover solutions beyond the theoretically derived storage capacity

The insights from the statistical mechanics analysis can be leveraged to design novel neural network architectures or training algorithms that can efficiently discover solutions beyond the theoretically derived storage capacity. By understanding the structure of the solution space and the factors influencing the storage capacity, researchers can develop strategies to enhance the learning capabilities of neural networks. One approach could involve designing architectures that encourage negative weight correlations and division of labor among parameters. By promoting specialization and efficient use of parameters, networks may be able to learn more effectively and generalize better to unseen data. Additionally, training algorithms can be optimized to navigate the complex solution space efficiently, potentially discovering solutions that go beyond the theoretical storage capacity limits. By incorporating the principles derived from the statistical mechanics analysis into the design of neural network architectures and training algorithms, researchers can explore new avenues for improving the performance and generalization capabilities of deep learning models.
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