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4+3 Phases of Compute-Optimal Neural Scaling Laws

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arxiv 2405.15074 v3 pith:N3IDXNM7 submitted 2024-05-23 stat.ML cs.LGmath.OCmath.PRmath.STstat.TH

classification stat.MLcs.LGmath.OCmath.PRmath.STstat.TH
keywords modelscalingneuralderivemodel-parameter-countphasescomplexitycompute-optimal
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal
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We consider the solvable neural scaling model with three parameters: data complexity, target complexity, and model-parameter-count. We use this neural scaling model to derive new predictions about the compute-limited, infinite-data scaling law regime. To train the neural scaling model, we run one-pass stochastic gradient descent on a mean-squared loss. We derive a representation of the loss curves which holds over all iteration counts and improves in accuracy as the model parameter count grows. We then analyze the compute-optimal model-parameter-count, and identify 4 phases (+3 subphases) in the data-complexity/target-complexity phase-plane. The phase boundaries are determined by the relative importance of model capacity, optimizer noise, and embedding of the features. We furthermore derive, with mathematical proof and extensive numerical evidence, the scaling-law exponents in all of these phases, in particular computing the optimal model-parameter-count as a function of floating point operation budget.

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Cited by 3 Pith papers

Reviewed papers in the Pith corpus that reference this work. Sorted by Pith novelty score. Full citation record

  1. Scaling Collapse Reveals Universal Dynamics in Compute-Optimally Trained Neural Networks

    cs.LG 2025-07 conditional novelty 7.0 of 10

    Compute-optimally trained networks of different sizes show loss curves that collapse onto one universal curve after normalization; with learning rate decay, the collapse is tighter than seed-to-seed noise, providing a...

  2. Muon in Associative Memory Learning: Training Dynamics and Scaling Laws

    cs.LG 2026-02 conditional novelty 6.0 of 10

    In a linear softmax memory model, Muon equalizes learning across frequency tiers and gives exponential (noiseless) or T^{-2} (noisy power-law) convergence, versus polynomial or T^{-(1-1/β)} for gradient descent.

  3. Unifying Learning Dynamics and Generalization in Transformers Scaling Law

    cs.LG 2025-12 reject novelty 4.0 of 10

    Claims a two-stage transformer scaling law (exponential then C^{-1/6}) with matching bounds, but the lower bounds are missing, the exponent is inconsistent (-1/7 vs -1/6), and the law is an artifact of hand-set M = Θ(...

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