Removing embedding tables: ViT-style projections for tokens

kalomaze · x · 2026-08-19

A technical discussion suggests that models like Gemma 4 12b might be moving away from tokens towards processing original bits/data via linear projections (similar to ViT), potentially eliminating the need for 'embedding tables'. A reply criticizes papers like BLT for being noncommittal, resembling 'entropy patched heuristics' rather than a serious fundamental shift to byte-level tokenization.

Related event: Debate: Direct Projections May Replace Embedding Tables(3 posts)→

Original post →

More from Research

Research channel →