Mechanisms of Non-Monotonic Scaling in Vision Transformers

arXiv — cs.LGThursday, November 27, 2025 at 5:00:00 AM
  • A recent study on Vision Transformers (ViTs) reveals a non-monotonic scaling behavior, where deeper models like ViT-L perform worse than shallower counterparts such as ViT-B and ViT-S on ImageNet. The research identifies a three-phase pattern—Cliff-Plateau-Climb—indicating how representation quality evolves with depth, emphasizing the diminishing role of the [CLS] token in favor of patch tokens.
  • This finding challenges established scaling assumptions in deep learning, suggesting that simply increasing model depth may not yield better performance. Instead, it highlights the need for a more nuanced approach to model architecture design in Vision Transformers.
  • The implications of this research resonate with ongoing discussions about optimizing ViT architectures, as various strategies like dynamic granularity adjustments, structural reparameterization, and knowledge distillation are explored to enhance performance. These developments reflect a broader trend in AI research, focusing on refining model efficiency and effectiveness rather than merely increasing complexity.
— via World Pulse Now AI Editorial System

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