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What is Batch Normalization (BN)?
Batch normalization (BN), also abbreviated as BatchNorm, is an algorithmic method used for training artificial neural networks (ANNs) in machine learning (ML). Batch normalization facilitates a more stable and effective deep learning training process.
In artificial neural networks, each layer performs a specific type of computation on received inputs. Batch normalization ensures inputs have a consistent average and variance.
This technique helps stabilize and accelerate the training process while reducing the internal covariate shift – a challenge during the training process that makes it difficult for the network to learn effectively.
Batch normalization, first introduced in 2015 by Sergey Ioffe and Christian Szegedy, has become a foundational and standard practice. It significantly accelerated the training of deep neural networks, contributing to faster convergence, enhanced generalization, and improved stability throughout the learning process.
Techopedia Explains the Batch Normalization Meaning
In machine learning, batch normalization is a technique employed during the training of artificial neural networks. An artificial neural network encounters varying inputs during training.
Batch normalization is applied to ensure inputs are normalized, providing each layer in the network with an improved opportunity to learn without being significantly impacted by variations in the input data.
How Batch Normalization Works
Batch normalization works to improve neural network training. Think of an artificial neural network as a series of connected nodes arranged in layers, where each layer performs specific computations on received inputs.
There are three or more layers that are interconnected, including an input layer receiving initial data, then information is passed through hidden layers to the output layer. Each node in a hidden layer takes inputs from the nodes in the previous layer, performs a computation, and passes the result to the next layer.
During training, input variations occur in each layer. Batch normalization ensures inputs have consistent averages and variances, providing a more stable learning environment. This process gives each layer in the network a better chance to learn without being greatly affected by the variations in the input data.
Batch Normalization Equations
Batch normalization uses a set of equations to improve neural network training by standardizing the input data and address key challenges, such as internal covariate shift. As noted in this Towards Data Science article, key batch normalization equations include the following:
Image Source: Towards Data Science
During the training of a neural network, these equations are applied to each feature within a mini-batch – a subset of the training data. The network is trained on each sample until the entire dataset is used, resulting in more stable, effective, and faster training.
Examples of Using Batch Normalization
Batch normalization is widely used in diverse neural network architectures in machine learning and deep learning.
Examples of using batch normalization include:
Pros and Cons of Batch Normalization
Pros
- Enhances stability during training
- Accelerates the training process
- Improves generalization on validation and test datasets
Cons
- Depends on accurate mean and variance estimation
- Varies in performance with batch sizes
- Diminishes effectiveness in training recurrent neural networks
Challenges of Batch Normalization
One of the common challenges in batch normalization is batch size sensitivity, which refers to selecting an appropriate batch size for calculating mean and variance within each mini-batch.
When dealing with very small batch sizes, the mean and variance estimates become less accurate as a limited number of samples may not represent the full dataset accurately. Larger batch sizes, while enhancing efficiency, also pose challenges like slower convergence, reduced generalization, or graphics processing unit (GPU) memory limitations.
A systematic approach is needed to identify the batch size that aligns best with a specific dataset and the goals of the deep learning model. Typically this approach requires testing various batch sizes during training to observe the impact on performance and efficiency and adjusting the batch size to find a good balance.
The Bottom Line
Batch normalization is a foundational technique used in the training of deep neural networks, contributing to faster convergence, better generalization, and improved stability during the learning process.
It is widely adopted across various architectures today, including image classification and natural language processing. Batch normalization is also used in popular deep learning frameworks, like TensorFlow and PyTorch.
