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MiMuon: Mixed Muon Optimizer with Improved Generalization for Large Models

arXiv.org Machine Learning

Matrix-structured parameters frequently appear in many artificial intelligence models such as large language models. More recently, an efficient Muon optimizer is designed for matrix parameters of large-scale models, and shows markedly faster convergence than the vector-wise algorithms. Although some works have begun to study convergence properties (i.e., optimization error) of the Muon optimizer, its generalization properties (i.e., generalization error) is still not established. Thus, in this paper, we study generalization error of the Muon optimizer based on algorithmic stability and mathematical induction, and prove that the Muon has a generalization error of $O\big(\frac{1}{Nฮบ^{T}}\big)$, where $N$ is training sample size, and $T$ denotes iteration number, and $ฮบ>0$ denotes minimum difference between singular values of gradient estimate. To enhance generalization of the Muon, we propose an effective mixed Muon (MiMuon) optimizer by cautiously using orthogonalization of gradient, which is a hybrid of Muon and momentum-based SGD optimizers. Then we prove that our MiMuon optimizer has a lower generalization error of $O\big(\frac{1}{N}\big)$ than $O\big(\frac{1}{Nฮบ^{T}}\big)$ of Muon optimizer, since $ฮบ$ generally is very small. Meanwhile, we also studied the convergence properties of our MiMuon algorithm, and prove that our MiMuon algorithm has the same convergence rate of $O(\frac{1}{T^{1/4}})$ as the Muon algorithm. Some numerical experimental results on training large models including Qwen3-0.6B and YOLO26m demonstrate efficiency of the MiMuon optimizer.


Learnability and Competition in High-Dimensional Multi-Component ICA

arXiv.org Machine Learning

Independent Component Analysis (ICA) is a foundational tool for unsupervised representation learning, yet its high-dimensional theory remains largely limited to single-component recovery. We develop an asymptotically exact mean-field theory for multi-component online ICA, capturing the coupling induced by simultaneous learning and orthogonalization. In the high-dimensional limit, the joint empirical distribution of learned estimates and ground-truth components converges to a deterministic process, yielding a closed ODE system for the overlap matrix between learned directions and true components. This characterization reveals a genuinely multi-component, initialization-driven phase structure: a decoupled regime, where estimates align with distinct components and evolve nearly independently, and a competition regime, where overlapping initializations induce orthogonality-driven conflicts, slow reorientation, and delayed convergence. Our steady-state analysis gives explicit learnability boundaries and competition conditions linking step size, data moments, and initialization. These conditions show that larger higher-order moments and competition shrink the stable learning-rate window, increase convergence times, and predict a staircase phenomenon in which the number of recoverable components changes discretely with the learning rate. Experiments on synthetic data and hyperspectral remote sensing data validate the predicted trajectories and phase behavior.


MuonEq: Balancing Before Orthogonalization with Lightweight Equilibration

arXiv.org Machine Learning

Orthogonalized-update optimizers such as Muon improve training of matrix-valued parameters, but existing extensions mostly act either after orthogonalization by rescaling updates or before it with heavier whitening-based preconditioners. We introduce {\method}, a lightweight family of pre-orthogonalization equilibration schemes for Muon in three forms: two-sided row/column normalization (RC), row normalization (R), and column normalization (C). These variants rebalance the momentum matrix before finite-step Newton--Schulz using row/column squared-norm statistics and only $\mathcal{O}(m+n)$ auxiliary state. We show that finite-step orthogonalization is governed by input spectral properties, especially stable rank and condition number, and that row/column normalization is a zeroth-order whitening surrogate that removes marginal scale mismatch. For the hidden matrix weights targeted by {\method}, the row-normalized variant R is the natural default and preserves the $\widetilde{\mathcal{O}}(T^{-1/4})$ stationarity guarantee of Muon-type methods. In LLaMA2 pretraining on C4, the default R variant consistently outperforms Muon on 130M and 350M models, yielding faster convergence and lower validation perplexity.




Convergence of Muon with Newton-Schulz

arXiv.org Machine Learning

We analyze Muon as originally proposed and used in practice -- using the momentum orthogonalization with a few Newton-Schulz steps. The prior theoretical results replace this key step in Muon with an exact SVD-based polar factor. We prove that Muon with Newton-Schulz converges to a stationary point at the same rate as the SVD-polar idealization, up to a constant factor for a given number $q$ of Newton-Schulz steps. We further analyze this constant factor and prove that it converges to 1 doubly exponentially in $q$ and improves with the degree of the polynomial used in Newton-Schulz for approximating the orthogonalization direction. We also prove that Muon removes the typical square-root-of-rank loss compared to its vector-based counterpart, SGD with momentum. Our results explain why Muon with a few low-degree Newton-Schulz steps matches exact-polar (SVD) behavior at a much faster wall-clock time and explain how much momentum matrix orthogonalization via Newton-Schulz benefits over the vector-based optimizer. Overall, our theory justifies the practical Newton-Schulz design of Muon, narrowing its practice-theory gap.


On Fibonacci Ensembles: An Alternative Approach to Ensemble Learning Inspired by the Timeless Architecture of the Golden Ratio

arXiv.org Machine Learning

Nature rarely reveals her secrets bluntly, yet in the Fibonacci sequence she grants us a glimpse of her quiet architecture of growth, harmony, and recursive stability \citep{Koshy2001Fibonacci, Livio2002GoldenRatio}. From spiral galaxies to the unfolding of leaves, this humble sequence reflects a universal grammar of balance. In this work, we introduce \emph{Fibonacci Ensembles}, a mathematically principled yet philosophically inspired framework for ensemble learning that complements and extends classical aggregation schemes such as bagging, boosting, and random forests \citep{Breiman1996Bagging, Breiman2001RandomForests, Friedman2001GBM, Zhou2012Ensemble, HastieTibshiraniFriedman2009ESL}. Two intertwined formulations unfold: (1) the use of normalized Fibonacci weights -- tempered through orthogonalization and Rao--Blackwell optimization -- to achieve systematic variance reduction among base learners, and (2) a second-order recursive ensemble dynamic that mirrors the Fibonacci flow itself, enriching representational depth beyond classical boosting. The resulting methodology is at once rigorous and poetic: a reminder that learning systems flourish when guided by the same intrinsic harmonies that shape the natural world. Through controlled one-dimensional regression experiments using both random Fourier feature ensembles \citep{RahimiRecht2007RFF} and polynomial ensembles, we exhibit regimes in which Fibonacci weighting matches or improves upon uniform averaging and interacts in a principled way with orthogonal Rao--Blackwellization. These findings suggest that Fibonacci ensembles form a natural and interpretable design point within the broader theory of ensemble learning.


An Analysis of SVD for Deep Rotation Estimation

Neural Information Processing Systems

Symmetric orthogonalization via SVD, and closely related procedures, are well-known techniques for projecting matrices onto O(n) or SO(n). These tools have long been used for applications in computer vision, for example optimal 3D alignment problems solved by orthogonal Procrustes, rotation averaging, or Essential matrix decomposition. Despite its utility in different settings, SVD orthogonalization as a procedure for producing rotation matrices is typically overlooked in deep learning models, where the preferences tend toward classic representations like unit quaternions, Euler angles, and axis-angle, or more recently-introduced methods. Despite the importance of 3D rotations in computer vision and robotics, a single universally effective representation is still missing. Here, we explore the viability of SVD orthogonalization for 3D rotations in neural networks. We present a theoretical analysis of SVD as used for projection onto the rotation group. Our extensive quantitative analysis shows simply replacing existing representations with the SVD orthogonalization procedure obtains state of the art performance in many deep learning applications covering both supervised and unsupervised training.


ROOT: Robust Orthogonalized Optimizer for Neural Network Training

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

The optimization of large language models (LLMs) remains a critical challenge, particularly as model scaling exacerbates sensitivity to algorithmic imprecision and training instability. Recent advances in optimizers have improved convergence efficiency through momentum orthogonalization, but suffer from two key robustness limitations: dimensional fragility in orthogonalization precision and vulnerability to outlier-induced noise. To address these robustness challenges, we introduce ROOT, a Robust Orthogonalized Optimizer that enhances training stability through dual robustness mechanisms. First, we develop a dimension-robust orthogonalization scheme using adaptive Newton iterations with fine-grained coefficients tailored to specific matrix sizes, ensuring consistent precision across diverse architectural configurations. Second, we introduce an optimization-robust framework via proximal optimization that suppresses outlier noise while preserving meaningful gradient directions. Extensive experiments demonstrate that ROOT achieves significantly improved robustness, with faster convergence and superior final performance compared to both Muon and Adam-based optimizers, particularly in noisy and non-convex scenarios. Our work establishes a new paradigm for developing robust and precise optimizers capable of handling the complexities of modern large-scale model training. The code will be available at https://github.com/huawei-noah/noah-research/tree/master/ROOT.


Isotropic Curvature Model for Understanding Deep Learning Optimization: Is Gradient Orthogonalization Optimal?

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

In this paper, we introduce a model for analyzing deep learning optimization over a single iteration by leveraging the matrix structure of the weights. We derive the model by assuming isotropy of curvature, including the second-order Hessian and higher-order terms, of the loss function across all perturbation directions; hence, we call it the isotropic curvature model. This model is a convex optimization program amenable to analysis, which allows us to understand how an update on the weights in the form of a matrix relates to the change in the total loss function. As an application, we use the isotropic curvature model to analyze the recently introduced Muon optimizer and other matrix-gradient methods for training language models. First, we show that under a general growth condition on the curvature, the optimal update matrix is obtained by making the spectrum of the original gradient matrix more homogeneous -- that is, making its singular values closer in ratio -- which in particular improves the conditioning of the update matrix. Next, we show that the orthogonalized gradient becomes optimal for the isotropic curvature model when the curvature exhibits a phase transition in growth. Taken together, these results suggest that the gradient orthogonalization employed in Muon and other related methods is directionally correct but may not be strictly optimal. Finally, we discuss future research on how to leverage the isotropic curvature model for designing new optimization methods for training deep learning and language models.