Quantum-Inspired Stochastic Gradient Descent for High-Dimensional Optimization

Jincheng Zhang

Published Sep 2, 2026• 0 citations

Abstract

Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) is a cornerstone algorithm in training machine learning models, particularly deep neural networks. However, its performance degrades significantly as the dimensionality of the problem increases, a phenomenon known as the "curse of dimensionality." This paper introduces a novel optimization algorithm, Quantum-Inspired Stochastic Gradient Descent (QISGD), designed to mitigate this issue. QISGD draws inspiration from quantum mechanics, specifically the concepts of superposition and interference, to guide the stochastic updates. The algorithm utilizes a probability distribution that mimics a quantum state, enabling it to explore the loss landscape more effectively and potentially achieve faster convergence in high-dimensional spaces. We present a theoretical framework for QISGD and discuss its key components, including the initialization of the quantum state, the generation of stochastic updates, and the implementation of interference effects. The core idea is to treat the parameters of the model as a quantum state, allowing for a more nuanced exploration of the loss function. We analyze the algorithm's convergence properties and provide insights into its potential advantages over traditional SGD. The primary goal is to demonstrate that quantum-inspired techniques can provide a robust and efficient solution for high-dimensional optimization problems.

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.22246907

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