A mathematical perspective on Transformers
This work provides a theoretical foundation for analyzing Transformers, which could benefit mathematicians and computer scientists, but it is incremental as it builds on existing particle system interpretations without introducing new methods or applications.
The authors tackled the problem of understanding Transformers in large language models by developing a mathematical framework that interprets them as interacting particle systems, revealing that clusters emerge over long time periods.
Transformers play a central role in the inner workings of large language models. We develop a mathematical framework for analyzing Transformers based on their interpretation as interacting particle systems, which reveals that clusters emerge in long time. Our study explores the underlying theory and offers new perspectives for mathematicians as well as computer scientists.