The AI industry's focus on Transformers seems to be diminishing, with State Space Models (SSMs) gaining favor among practitioners prioritizing speed and efficiency.
Transformers, though powerful, face challenges with scalability, memory usage, and latency, especially with lengthy inputs.
SSMs offer advantages like linear scaling, steady memory usage, faster inference, and easier deployment on constrained hardware.
The implementation of SSMs, such as the Mamba model, has shown improvements in latency, memory efficiency, and performance in real-world projects.
Choosing between Transformers and SSMs depends on the product's requirements, with SSMs being more efficient for handling long-form documents and real-time interactions.
The shift towards SSMs signifies a move towards more product-focused AI infrastructure design, considering factors like speed, cost, and long-term efficiency.
While Transformers will still have their place, SSMs offer a viable alternative for products needing quick feedback and operating within moderate system constraints.
This shift highlights a transition from research-driven decisions to product-driven decisions, emphasizing practical results over pure performance metrics.
Adapting to these changes can benefit AI products by prioritizing functionality and operational efficiency, enhancing the overall product development process.
The evolution in AI model selection reflects a maturation in the industry's approach, showcasing a shift towards more thoughtful and pragmatic decision-making.