On the Convergence of Decentralized Stochastic Gradient-Tracking with Finite-Time Consensus

Abstract: Algorithms for decentralized optimization and learning rely on local optimization steps coupled with combination steps over a graph. Recent works have demonstrated that using a time-varying sequence of matrices that achieve finite-time consensus can improve the communication and iteration complexity of decentralized optimization algorithms based on gradient tracking. In practice, a sequence of matrices satisfying the exact finite-time consensus property may not be available due to imperfect knowledge of the network topology, a limit on the length of the sequence, or numerical instabilities. In this work, we quantify the impact of approximate finite-time consensus sequences on the convergence of a gradient-tracking based decentralized optimization algorithm, clarifying the interplay between accuracy and length of the sequence as well as typical problem parameters such as smoothness and gradient noise.