Iterative kernel regression with preconditioning

Kernel methods are popular in nonlinear and nonparametric regression due to their solid mathematical foundations and optimal statistical properties. However, scalability remains the primary bottleneck in applying kernel methods to large-scale data regression analysis. This paper aims to improve the scalability of kernel methods. We combine Nyström subsampling and the preconditioned conjugate gradient method to solve regularized kernel regression. Our theoretical analysis indicates that achieving optimal convergence rates requires only O(n) memory and O(n√n) time (up to logarithmic factors). Numerical experiments show that our algorithm outperforms existing methods in time efficiency and prediction accuracy on large-scale datasets. Notably, compared to the FALKON algorithm [A. Rudi, L. Carratino and L. Rosasco, Falkon: An optimal large scale kernel method, in Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems (Curran Associates, 2017), pp. 3891–3901], which is known as the optimal large-scale kernel method, our method is more flexible (applicable to non-positive definite kernel functions) and has a lower algorithmic complexity. Additionally, our established theoretical analysis further relaxes the restrictive conditions on hyperparameters previously imposed in convergence analyses. © 2024 World Scientific Publishing Company.