[Python] Why does torch.autograd.backward() fail after in-place tensor update in PyTorch?

Discussão em 'Python' iniciado por Stack, Maio 4, 2025.

  1. Stack

    Stack Membro Participativo

    I'm trying to manually implement one step of gradient descent using PyTorch to better understand how autograd works.

    Here's the function I'm working with:
    y = 3x² + 4x + 9

    I initialize x with requires_grad=True and run .backward() after computing y. Then I update x in-place using x -= lr * x.grad and try to call .backward() again — but PyTorch throws a RuntimeError about version mismatch due to in-place modification.

    import torch

    x = torch.tensor([42.0], requires_grad=True)
    y = 3 * x ** 2 + 4 * x + 9
    y.backward()
    with torch.no_grad():
    x -= 0.1 * x.grad
    y.backward() # Fails here

    Error:
    RuntimeError: one of the variables needed for gradient computation has been modified by an inplace operation...

    I understand that in-place ops can cause issues, but:
    What exactly is PyTorch tracking here that's being violated?
    What's the correct way to re-run gradient descent steps manually using autograd?
    Is there a best practice for updating parameters manually without breaking the graph?

    Any clarification or example would be appreciated! Thank you so much

    Continue reading...

Compartilhe esta Página