# Low-Rank Training of Deep Neural Networks for Emerging Memory Technology

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2009.03887 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2009.03887/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 8 Sep 2020.

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [ELRT: Efficient Low-Rank Training for Compact Convolutional Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.10341/) (2024)
- [Structure-Preserving Network Compression Via Low-Rank Induced Training Through Linear Layers Composition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.03089/) (2024)
- [Stabilizing the Dynamic Low-Rank Training](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.32615/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The recent success of neural networks for solving difficult decision tasks has incentivized incorporating smart decision making "at the edge." However, this work has traditionally focused on neural network inference, rather than training, due to memory and compute limitations, especially in emerging non-volatile memory systems, where writes are energetically costly and reduce lifespan. Yet, the ability to train at the edge is becoming increasingly important as it enables real-time adaptability to device drift and environmental variation, user customization, and federated learning across devices. In this work, we address two key challenges for training on edge devices with non-volatile memory: low write density and low auxiliary memory. We present a low-rank training scheme that addresses these challenges while maintaining computational efficiency. We then demonstrate the technique on a representative convolutional neural network across several adaptation problems, where it out-performs standard SGD both in accuracy and in number of weight writes.