Lightning-AI / Lightning-AI/lightning-thunder

Thunder-generated backward for sigmoid may compute `nan` for large (in absolute values) negative inputs

Open
#1,892 2 comments 1 reaction 1 assignee View on GitHub

@kiya00 is already working on this.

Since Oct 9, 2025.

autograd
Dominant language
Python
Stars
1.5k
Forks
121
PR merge metrics
No merged PRs in 30d

Description

## 🐛 Bug

The derivative of `sigmoid(x)` is `sigmoid(x) * (1 - sigmoid(x))` which is obtained after a couple of algebraic simplifications and substitutions. There's no manual implementation of this derivative in Thunder and therefore it's generated from its decomposition and chain rule that together with fusion rematerialization results in:
```py
def backward(output_grad, x):
return -(-output_grad * sigmoid(x) * sigmoid(x) * exp(-x))
```

Reproducer:
```py
In [1]: import thunder
/home/iyashchuk/dev/lightning-thunder/thunder/executors/transformer_engineex.py:56: UserWarning: transformer_engine failed to import with exception cannot import name 'MXFP8BlockScaling' from 'transformer_engine.common.recipe' (/home/iyashchuk/miniforge3/envs/pytorch-cuda-dev/lib/python3.10/site-packages/transformer_engine-1.11.0+c27ee60-py3.10-linux-x86_64.egg/transformer_engine/common/recipe/__init__.py)
warnings.warn(f"transformer_engine failed to import with exception {ex}")
/home/iyashchuk/dev/lightning-thunder/thunder/executors/transformer_engineex.py:62: UserWarning: Installed version of transformer_engine 1.11.0+c27ee60 is not supported, please upgrade to version 2.0 from https://github.com/NVIDIA/TransformerEngine/tree/release_v2.0. `transformer_engine_ex` will not be used.
warnings.warn(msg)

In [2]: import torch

In [3]: @thunder.jit
...: def sigmoid(x): return torch.sigmoid(x)

In [4]: a = torch.tensor(-1000., device="cuda", requires_grad=True)

In [5]: y = sigmoid(a)

In [6]: y.backward(y)

In [7]: a.grad
Out[7]: tensor(nan, device='cuda:0') # INCORRECT!

In [8]: a.grad = None

In [9]: y = torch.sigmoid(a)

In [10]: y.backward(y)

In [11]: a.grad
Out[11]: tensor(0., device='cuda:0')
```
Here's the backward execution trace:
```py
In [13]: sigmoid._lc_cs.last_backward_traces[-1]
Out[13]:
def backward_fn(saved_for_backward, cotangents):
# saved_for_backward: "Collection"
# cotangents: "Collection"
C0, _, = saved_for_backward
# C0: "Collection"
# None
clear_mutable_collection(saved_for_backward)
del saved_for_backward
t8, = cotangents
# t8: "cuda:0 f32[]"
clear_mutable_collection(cotangents)
del cotangents
t3, x, = C0
# t3: "cuda:0 f32[]"
# x: "cuda:0 f32[]"
clear_mutable_collection(C0)
del C0
[bw_t13] = nvFusion0(t8, x, t3)
# bw_t9 = prims.neg(t8) # bw_t9: "cuda:0 f32[]"
# t4 = prims.neg(x) # t4: "cuda:0 f32[]"
# bw_t10 = prims.mul(bw_t9, t3) # bw_t10: "cuda:0 f32[]"
# t5 = prims.exp(t4) # t5: "cuda:0 f32[]"
# bw_t11 = prims.mul(bw_t10, t3) # bw_t11: "cuda:0 f32[]"
# bw_t12 = prims.mul(bw_t11, t5) # bw_t12: "cuda:0 f32[]"
# bw_t13 = prims.neg(bw_t12) # bw_t13: "cuda:0 f32[]"
del t8, x, t3
return (bw_t13,)
```

Contributor guide

No contributing guide indexed for this repository

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Assessment

This issue has not been assessed yet.

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.