Efficient Randomized Algorithms for the Fixed-Precision Low-Rank Matrix Approximation

Randomized algorithms for low-rank matrix approximation are investigated, with the emphasis on the fixed-precision problem and computational efficiency for handling large matrices. The algorithms are based on the so-called QB factorization, where Q is an orthonormal matrix. Firstly, a mechanism for calculating the approximation error in Frobenius norm is proposed, which enables efficient adaptive rank determination for large and/or sparse matrix. It can be combined with any QB-form factorization algorithm in which B's rows are incrementally generated. Based on the blocked randQB algorithm by P.-G. Martinsson and S. Voronin, this results in an algorithm called randQB EI. Then, we further revise the algorithm to obtain a pass-efficient algorithm, randQB FP, which is mathematically equivalent to the existing randQB algorithms and also suitable for the fixed-precision problem. Especially, randQB FP can serve as a single-pass algorithm for calculating leading singular values, under certain condition. With large and/or sparse test matrices, we have empirically validated the merits of the proposed techniques, which exhibit remarkable speedup and memory saving over the blocked randQB algorithm. We have also demonstrated that the single-pass algorithm derived by randQB FP is much more accurate than an existing single-pass algorithm. And with data from a scenic image and an information retrieval application, we have shown the advantages of the proposed algorithms over the adaptive range finder algorithm for solving the fixed-precision problem.Comment: 21 pages, 10 figure

Randomized methods for matrix computations

The purpose of this text is to provide an accessible introduction to a set of recently developed algorithms for factorizing matrices. These new algorithms attain high practical speed by reducing the dimensionality of intermediate computations using randomized projections. The algorithms are particularly powerful for computing low-rank approximations to very large matrices, but they can also be used to accelerate algorithms for computing full factorizations of matrices. A key competitive advantage of the algorithms described is that they require less communication than traditional deterministic methods

Finding Structure with Randomness: Probabilistic Algorithms for Constructing Approximate Matrix Decompositions

Low-rank matrix approximations, such as the truncated singular value decomposition and the rank-revealing QR decomposition, play a central role in data analysis and scientific computing. This work surveys and extends recent research which demonstrates that randomization offers a powerful tool for performing low-rank matrix approximation. These techniques exploit modern computational architectures more fully than classical methods and open the possibility of dealing with truly massive data sets. This paper presents a modular framework for constructing randomized algorithms that compute partial matrix decompositions. These methods use random sampling to identify a subspace that captures most of the action of a matrix. The input matrix is then compressed—either explicitly or implicitly—to this subspace, and the reduced matrix is manipulated deterministically to obtain the desired low-rank factorization. In many cases, this approach beats its classical competitors in terms of accuracy, robustness, and/or speed. These claims are supported by extensive numerical experiments and a detailed error analysis. The specific benefits of randomized techniques depend on the computational environment. Consider the model problem of finding the k dominant components of the singular value decomposition of an m × n matrix. (i) For a dense input matrix, randomized algorithms require O(mn log(k)) floating-point operations (flops) in contrast to O(mnk) for classical algorithms. (ii) For a sparse input matrix, the flop count matches classical Krylov subspace methods, but the randomized approach is more robust and can easily be reorganized to exploit multiprocessor architectures. (iii) For a matrix that is too large to fit in fast memory, the randomized techniques require only a constant number of passes over the data, as opposed to O(k) passes for classical algorithms. In fact, it is sometimes possible to perform matrix approximation with a single pass over the data

Finding structure with randomness: Probabilistic algorithms for constructing approximate matrix decompositions

Low-rank matrix approximations, such as the truncated singular value decomposition and the rank-revealing QR decomposition, play a central role in data analysis and scientific computing. This work surveys and extends recent research which demonstrates that randomization offers a powerful tool for performing low-rank matrix approximation. These techniques exploit modern computational architectures more fully than classical methods and open the possibility of dealing with truly massive data sets. This paper presents a modular framework for constructing randomized algorithms that compute partial matrix decompositions. These methods use random sampling to identify a subspace that captures most of the action of a matrix. The input matrix is then compressed---either explicitly or implicitly---to this subspace, and the reduced matrix is manipulated deterministically to obtain the desired low-rank factorization. In many cases, this approach beats its classical competitors in terms of accuracy, speed, and robustness. These claims are supported by extensive numerical experiments and a detailed error analysis

Preparing sparse solvers for exascale computing.

Sparse solvers provide essential functionality for a wide variety of scientific applications. Highly parallel sparse solvers are essential for continuing advances in high-fidelity, multi-physics and multi-scale simulations, especially as we target exascale platforms. This paper describes the challenges, strategies and progress of the US Department of Energy Exascale Computing project towards providing sparse solvers for exascale computing platforms. We address the demands of systems with thousands of high-performance node devices where exposing concurrency, hiding latency and creating alternative algorithms become essential. The efforts described here are works in progress, highlighting current success and upcoming challenges. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Numerical algorithms for high-performance computational science'