mlsanityData to 7 Oct 2026

Convergence guarantee for consistency models

arXiv 2308.11449 ↗First posted 22 Aug 2023math.NA cs.AI cs.NAcited by 5

On the map: Diffusion models → Diffusion foundations and sampling

Abstract (arXiv)

We provide the first convergence guarantees for the Consistency Models (CMs), a newly emerging type of one-step generative models that can generate comparable samples to those generated by Diffusion Models. Our main result is that, under the basic assumptions on score-matching errors, consistency errors and smoothness of the data distribution, CMs can efficiently sample from any realistic data distribution in one step with small W2 error. Our results (1) hold for L2-accurate score and consistency assumption (rather than L^∞-accurate); (2) do note require strong assumptions on the data distribution such as log-Sobelev inequality; (3) scale polynomially in all parameters; and (4) match the state-of-the-art convergence guarantee for score-based generative models (SGMs). We also provide the result that the Multistep Consistency Sampling procedure can further reduce the error comparing to one step sampling, which support the original statement of "Consistency Models, Yang Song 2023". Our result further imply a TV error guarantee when take some Langevin-based modifications to the output distributions.

Key facts. Cited by 5 papers in the map (data through 7 Oct 2026). Placed in Diffusion foundations and sampling, one of 14 directions in Diffusion models. Builds on 28 of its 31 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 22 Aug 2023.

Builds on

28 of 31 references.

Closest ancestors · 13

Same direction, newest first

  1. 2023The probability flow ODE is provably fast19 May
  2. 2023Restoration-Degradation Beyond Linear Diffusions: A Non-Asymptotic Analysis For DDIM-Type Samplers6 Mar
  3. 2023Consistency Models2 Mar
  4. 2022Convergence of score-based generative modeling for general data distributions26 Sep
  5. 2022Sampling is as easy as learning the score: theory for diffusion models with minimal data assumptions22 Sep
  6. 2022Convergence of denoising diffusion models under the manifold hypothesis10 Aug
  7. 2022Maximum Likelihood Training for Score-Based Diffusion ODEs by High-Order Denoising Score Matching16 Jun
  8. 2022Convergence for score-based generative modeling with polynomial complexity13 Jun
  9. 2021Diffusion Schr"odinger Bridge with Applications to Score-Based Generative Modeling1 Jun
  10. 2021Diffusion Models Beat GANs on Image Synthesis11 May
  11. 2021Maximum Likelihood Training of Score-Based Diffusion Models22 Jan
  12. 2020Score-Based Generative Modeling through Stochastic Differential Equations26 Nov
1 more
  1. 2020Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models19 Jun

Other references · 15

  1. 2018The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Deep Features as a Perceptual Metriccited by 11,029
  2. 2015Deep Unsupervised Learning using Nonequilibrium Thermodynamicscited by 7,005
  3. 2022Hierarchical Text-Conditional Image Generation with CLIP Latentscited by 6,539
  4. 2022Photorealistic Text-to-Image Diffusion Models with Deep Language Understandingcited by 6,322
  5. 2019Generative Modeling by Estimating Gradients of the Data Distributioncited by 4,067
  6. 2021GLIDE: Towards Photorealistic Image Generation and Editing with Text-Guided Diffusion Modelscited by 3,595
  7. 2022Video Diffusion Modelscited by 2,280
  8. 2022Imagen Video: High Definition Video Generation with Diffusion Modelscited by 1,765
  9. 2020DiffWave: A Versatile Diffusion Model for Audio Synthesiscited by 1,339
  10. 2020WaveGrad: Estimating Gradients for Waveform Generationcited by 620
  11. 2021Grad-TTS: A Diffusion Probabilistic Model for Text-to-Speechcited by 445
  12. 2015Non-asymptotic convergence analysis for the Unadjusted Langevin Algorithmcited by 195
3 more
  1. 2017Underdamped Langevin MCMC: A non-asymptotic analysiscited by 131
  2. 2020Generative Modeling with Denoising Auto-Encoders and Langevin Samplingcited by 118
  3. 2017Convergence of Langevin MCMC in KL-divergencecited by 86

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Cited by year

Citing papers per year: 2024: 4; 2025: 1.

5 papers.

Similar, not cited

Close in wording, no citation either way

  1. 2025Multi-Step Consistency Models: Fast Generation with Theoretical Guarantees
  2. 2023Consistent Diffusion Models: Mitigating Sampling Drift by Learning to be Consistent
  3. 2024Simplifying, Stabilizing and Scaling Continuous-Time Consistency Models
  4. 2023Improved Convergence of Score-Based Diffusion Models via Prediction-Correction
  5. 2022Improved Analysis of Score-based Generative Modeling: User-Friendly Bounds under Minimal Smoothness Assumptions
  6. 2024Multistep Consistency Models
  7. 2023Improved Techniques for Training Consistency Models
  8. 2026Iterating Consistency Models: Stability, Error Bounds and Noise Schedules