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Model Merging in Pre-training of Large Language Models

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arxiv 2505.12082 v3 pith:3UTT7Y2Z submitted 2025-05-17 cs.CL cs.LG

Model Merging in Pre-training of Large Language Models

classification cs.CL cs.LG
keywords mergingmodelpre-trainingcomprehensiveimprovementslanguagelargemodels
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal T4 reserved
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Model merging has emerged as a promising technique for enhancing large language models, though its application in large-scale pre-training remains relatively unexplored. In this paper, we present a comprehensive investigation of model merging techniques during the pre-training process. Through extensive experiments with both dense and Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) architectures ranging from millions to over 100 billion parameters, we demonstrate that merging checkpoints trained with constant learning rates not only achieves significant performance improvements but also enables accurate prediction of annealing behavior. These improvements lead to both more efficient model development and significantly lower training costs. Our detailed ablation studies on merging strategies and hyperparameters provide new insights into the underlying mechanisms while uncovering novel applications. Through comprehensive experimental analysis, we offer the open-source community practical pre-training guidelines for effective model merging.

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Cited by 7 Pith papers

Reviewed papers in the Pith corpus that reference this work. Sorted by Pith novelty score.

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