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Practice

Batch Size: The Scale of Data Processed at Once

Batch Size refers to the amount of data used in one training iteration. For example, if the batch size is set to 32, the model is trained using 32 samples at a time.

Each batch is used to update the model's weights, and the batch size significantly affects model performance, training time, and memory usage.


Commonly Used Batch Sizes​

The commonly used batch sizes are 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, and 512.

The recommended batch size may vary depending on the type of AI model, the size of the dataset, and the hardware specifications.

If the GPU memory allows, larger batch sizes can be used, but if memory is limited, smaller batch sizes should be utilized.

For example, when training a typical AI model with a GPU that has 4GB of VRAM, setting the batch size to 16-32 is appropriate.


Pros and Cons of Large Batch Sizes​


Advantages​

  1. Faster Training: Processing a large amount of data at once increases the training speed.

  2. Stable Training: A large batch size means using more data in each iteration, which is more likely to represent the overall data characteristics well. Thus, the model's performance changes more predictably.


Disadvantages​

  1. Increased Memory Usage: A larger batch size requires processing more data at once, which demands more memory. Training may not proceed if there is insufficient memory.

  2. Risk of Overfitting: Using too large a batch size may cause the model to fit too closely to the training data, leading to poor generalization on new data.

When the batch size is smaller, it presents opposite characteristics (slower training but less memory usage and minimized overfitting).


Practice​

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