Group Relative Policy Optimization: Theory and Mechanics

Group Relative Policy Optimization (GRPO) is a reinforcement learning technique introduced by DeepSeek that improves training efficiency by removing the need for a separate value function network. Instead of estimating absolute state values, the model generates a cohort of multiple completions for a single prompt and calculates rewards relative to that specific group. This framework utilizes rule-based or neural verifiers to evaluate outputs, ensuring that the model learns from the best-performing candidates in each sample set. To maintain stability, the algorithm incorporates a specialized KL divergence estimator as a regularization term, which prevents the policy from drifting too far from its original state. Choosing an appropriate group size is critical, as larger cohorts help the model explore complex reasoning paths while reducing mathematical variance during the update process. Ultimately, this approach supports outcome-based and process-based supervision, making it particularly effective for training large language models on advanced mathematical and logical tasks.

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