Loop only the middle layers? Researchers debate looped transformer design choices
maxsloef · x · 2026-09-03
In a discussion on looped transformers, maxsloef argues against looping every layer: input-to-meaning and meaning-to-output mappings are deadweight after the first iteration, so only the middle 2/3 of layers should be looped, reserving loop bandwidth for compressed internal representations. His rule of thumb: test such inductive biases experimentally, since they often become limiting at scale.
Related event: Researchers Debate Looping Only Middle Layers in Recurrent Transformers(3 posts)→
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