Solving parametric partial differential equations (PDEs) presents significant challenges for data-driven methods due to the sensitivity of spatio-temporal dynamics to variations in PDE parameters. Machine learning approaches often struggle to capture this variability. To address this, data-driven approaches learn parametric PDEs by sampling a very large variety of trajectories with varying PDE parameters. We first show that incorporating conditioning mechanisms for learning parametric PDEs is essential and that among them, \textit{adaptive conditioning}, allows stronger generalization. As existing adaptive conditioning methods do not scale well with respect to the number of parameters to adapt in the neural solver, we propose GEPS, a simple adaptation mechanism to boost GEneralization in Pde Solvers via a first-order optimization and low-rank rapid adaptation of a small set of context parameters. We demonstrate the versatility of our approach for both fully data-driven and for physics-aware neural solvers. Validation performed on a whole range of spatio-temporal forecasting problems demonstrates excellent performance for generalizing to unseen conditions including initial conditions, PDE coefficients, forcing terms and solution domain.

Another category of methods such as Fourier Neural Operator (FNO) and Deep Operator Network (DeepONet) try to approximate the solution mapping directly.

Rapid and reliable solvers for parametric partial differential equations (PDEs) are needed in many scientific and engineering disciplines. For example, there is a growing demand for composites and architected materials with heterogeneous microstructures. Designing such materials and predicting their behavior in practical applications requires solving homogenization problems for a wide range of material parameters and microstructures. While classical numerical solvers offer reliable and accurate solutions supported by a solid theoretical foundation, their high computational costs and slow convergence remain limiting factors. As a result, scientific machine learning is emerging as a promising alternative. However, such approaches often lack guaranteed accuracy and physical consistency. This raises the question of whether it is possible to develop hybrid approaches that combine the advantages of both data-driven methods and classical solvers. To address this, we introduce UNO-CG, a hybrid solver that accelerates conjugate gradient (CG) solvers using specially designed machine-learned preconditioners, while ensuring convergence by construction. As a preconditioner, we propose Unitary Neural Operators as a modification of Fourier Neural Operators. Our method can be interpreted as a data-driven discovery of Green's functions, which are then used to accelerate iterative solvers. We evaluate UNO-CG on various homogenization problems involving heterogeneous microstructures and millions of degrees of freedom. Our results demonstrate that UNO-CG enables a substantial reduction in the number of iterations and is competitive with handcrafted preconditioners for homogenization problems that involve expert knowledge. Moreover, UNO-CG maintains strong performance across a variety of boundary conditions, where many specialized solvers are not applicable, highlighting its versatility and robustness.

Physics-informed neural operators have emerged as a powerful paradigm for solving parametric partial differential equations (PDEs), particularly in the aerospace field, enabling the learning of solution operators that generalize across parameter spaces. However, existing methods either suffer from limited expressiveness due to fixed basis/coefficient designs, or face computational challenges due to the high dimensionality of the parameter-to-weight mapping space. We present LFR-PINO, a novel physics-informed neural operator that introduces two key innovations: (1) a layered hypernetwork architecture that enables specialized parameter generation for each network layer, and (2) a frequency-domain reduction strategy that significantly reduces parameter count while preserving essential spectral features. This design enables efficient learning of a universal PDE solver through pre-training, capable of directly handling new equations while allowing optional fine-tuning for enhanced precision. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated through comprehensive experiments on four representative PDE problems, where LFR-PINO achieves 22.8%-68.7% error reduction compared to state-of-the-art baselines. Notably, frequency-domain reduction strategy reduces memory usage by 28.6%-69.3% compared to Hyper-PINNs while maintaining solution accuracy, striking an optimal balance between computational efficiency and solution fidelity.

In this work, we devise a new, general-purpose reinforcement learning strategy for the optimal control of parametric partial differential equations (PDEs). Such problems frequently arise in applied sciences and engineering and entail a significant complexity when control and/or state variables are distributed in high-dimensional space or depend on varying parameters. Traditional numerical methods, relying on either iterative minimization algorithms or dynamic programming, while reliable, often become computationally infeasible. Indeed, in either way, the optimal control problem must be solved for each instance of the parameters, and this is out of reach when dealing with high-dimensional time-dependent and parametric PDEs. In this paper, we propose HypeRL, a deep reinforcement learning (DRL) framework to overcome the limitations shown by traditional methods. HypeRL aims at approximating the optimal control policy directly. Specifically, we employ an actor-critic DRL approach to learn an optimal feedback control strategy that can generalize across the range of variation of the parameters. To effectively learn such optimal control laws, encoding the parameter information into the DRL policy and value function neural networks (NNs) is essential. To do so, HypeRL uses two additional NNs, often called hypernetworks, to learn the weights and biases of the value function and the policy NNs. We validate the proposed approach on two PDE-constrained optimal control benchmarks, namely a 1D Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation and a 2D Navier-Stokes equations, by showing that the knowledge of the PDE parameters and how this information is encoded, i.e., via a hypernetwork, is an essential ingredient for learning parameter-dependent control policies that can generalize effectively to unseen scenarios and for improving the sample efficiency of such policies.

We propose the POD-DNN, a novel algorithm leveraging deep neural networks (DNNs) along with radial basis functions (RBFs) in the context of the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) reduced basis method (RBM), aimed at approximating the parametric mapping of parametric partial differential equations on irregular domains. The POD-DNN algorithm capitalizes on the low-dimensional characteristics of the solution manifold for parametric equations, alongside the inherent offline-online computational strategy of RBM and DNNs. In numerical experiments, POD-DNN demonstrates significantly accelerated computation speeds during the online phase. Compared to other algorithms that utilize RBF without integrating DNNs, POD-DNN substantially improves the computational speed in the online inference process. Furthermore, under reasonable assumptions, we have rigorously derived upper bounds on the complexity of approximating parametric mappings with POD-DNN, thereby providing a theoretical analysis of the algorithm's empirical performance.

Machine learning has witnessed substantial growth, leading to the development of advanced artificial intelligence models crafted to address a wide range of real-world challenges spanning various domains, such as computer vision, natural language processing, and scientific computing. Nevertheless, the creation of custom models for each new task remains a resource-intensive undertaking, demanding considerable computational time and memory resources. In this study, we introduce the concept of the Neural Combinatorial Wavelet Neural Operator (NCWNO) as a foundational model for scientific computing. This model is specifically designed to excel in learning from a diverse spectrum of physics and continuously adapt to the solution operators associated with parametric partial differential equations (PDEs). The NCWNO leverages a gated structure that employs local wavelet experts to acquire shared features across multiple physical systems, complemented by a memory-based ensembling approach among these local wavelet experts. This combination enables rapid adaptation to new challenges. The proposed foundational model offers two key advantages: (i) it can simultaneously learn solution operators for multiple parametric PDEs, and (ii) it can swiftly generalize to new parametric PDEs with minimal fine-tuning. The proposed NCWNO is the first foundational operator learning algorithm distinguished by its (i) robustness against catastrophic forgetting, (ii) the maintenance of positive transfer for new parametric PDEs, and (iii) the facilitation of knowledge transfer across dissimilar tasks. Through an extensive set of benchmark examples, we demonstrate that the NCWNO can outperform task-specific baseline operator learning frameworks with minimal hyperparameter tuning at the prediction stage. We also show that with minimal fine-tuning, the NCWNO performs accurate combinatorial learning of new parametric PDEs.

In this paper, we introduce the Spectral Coefficient Learning via Operator Network (SCLON), a novel operator learning-based approach for solving parametric partial differential equations (PDEs) without the need for data harnessing. The cornerstone of our method is the spectral methodology that employs expansions using orthogonal functions, such as Fourier series and Legendre polynomials, enabling accurate PDE solutions with fewer grid points. By merging the merits of spectral methods - encompassing high accuracy, efficiency, generalization, and the exact fulfillment of boundary conditions - with the prowess of deep neural networks, SCLON offers a transformative strategy. Our approach not only eliminates the need for paired input-output training data, which typically requires extensive numerical computations, but also effectively learns and predicts solutions of complex parametric PDEs, ranging from singularly perturbed convection-diffusion equations to the Navier-Stokes equations. The proposed framework demonstrates superior performance compared to existing scientific machine learning techniques, offering solutions for multiple instances of parametric PDEs without harnessing data. The mathematical framework is robust and reliable, with a well-developed loss function derived from the weak formulation, ensuring accurate approximation of solutions while exactly satisfying boundary conditions. The method's efficacy is further illustrated through its ability to accurately predict intricate natural behaviors like the Kolmogorov flow and boundary layers. In essence, our work pioneers a compelling avenue for parametric PDE solutions, serving as a bridge between traditional numerical methodologies and cutting-edge machine learning techniques in the realm of scientific computation.

We introduce a priori Sobolev-space error estimates for the solution of nonlinear, and possibly parametric, PDEs using Gaussian process and kernel based methods. The primary assumptions are: (1) a continuous embedding of the reproducing kernel Hilbert space of the kernel into a Sobolev space of sufficient regularity; and (2) the stability of the differential operator and the solution map of the PDE between corresponding Sobolev spaces. The proof is articulated around Sobolev norm error estimates for kernel interpolants and relies on the minimizing norm property of the solution. The error estimates demonstrate dimension-benign convergence rates if the solution space of the PDE is smooth enough. We illustrate these points with applications to high-dimensional nonlinear elliptic PDEs and parametric PDEs. Although some recent machine learning methods have been presented as breaking the curse of dimensionality in solving high-dimensional PDEs, our analysis suggests a more nuanced picture: there is a trade-off between the regularity of the solution and the presence of the curse of dimensionality. Therefore, our results are in line with the understanding that the curse is absent when the solution is regular enough.