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Main Authors: Roy, Somnath, Sreekar, Padharthi, Narasimha, Srivatsa, Anand, Anubhav
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.18076
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author Roy, Somnath
Sreekar, Padharthi
Narasimha, Srivatsa
Anand, Anubhav
author_facet Roy, Somnath
Sreekar, Padharthi
Narasimha, Srivatsa
Anand, Anubhav
contents The current study introduces a novel adaptation of speculative decoding, repurposed from generation to classification tasks. We propose a multi-model framework employing up to three lightweight worker models and a single, more robust judge model analogous to draft models and target model, respectively, in speculative decoding. The worker models, tasked with the bulk of the computation, independently predict discrete class labels for a given input. When majority worker models agree on a label, it is accepted as the final label, optimizing efficiency by bypassing the computationally expensive judge model. In cases of disagreement, the judge model intervenes to resolve the label. This approach minimizes redundant computation, leverages the redundancy of multiple workers for confidence, and confines the judge model's role to challenging cases, offering a practical balance of efficiency and accuracy. Our analysis suggests that smaller out of the box instruction/chat finetuned worker models with 3 billion parameters (hereafter, 3B) demonstrate a level of alignment with judge models comparable to that of larger finetuned worker models with 7 billion parameters (hereafter, 7B) across both simple and higher order reasoning tasks. The top performing 3B worker model pair achieve an agreement rate of approximately 80-83% for sentiment and around 50-80% for similar ticket when compared to judge models. Additionally, 3B worker models provide a speedup ranging from 2.8x to 9x relative to the judge models, while 7B worker model combinations achieve a speedup ranging from 1.28x to 0.28x
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_18076
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A Multi-Model Adaptation of Speculative Decoding for Classification
Roy, Somnath
Sreekar, Padharthi
Narasimha, Srivatsa
Anand, Anubhav
Computation and Language
The current study introduces a novel adaptation of speculative decoding, repurposed from generation to classification tasks. We propose a multi-model framework employing up to three lightweight worker models and a single, more robust judge model analogous to draft models and target model, respectively, in speculative decoding. The worker models, tasked with the bulk of the computation, independently predict discrete class labels for a given input. When majority worker models agree on a label, it is accepted as the final label, optimizing efficiency by bypassing the computationally expensive judge model. In cases of disagreement, the judge model intervenes to resolve the label. This approach minimizes redundant computation, leverages the redundancy of multiple workers for confidence, and confines the judge model's role to challenging cases, offering a practical balance of efficiency and accuracy. Our analysis suggests that smaller out of the box instruction/chat finetuned worker models with 3 billion parameters (hereafter, 3B) demonstrate a level of alignment with judge models comparable to that of larger finetuned worker models with 7 billion parameters (hereafter, 7B) across both simple and higher order reasoning tasks. The top performing 3B worker model pair achieve an agreement rate of approximately 80-83% for sentiment and around 50-80% for similar ticket when compared to judge models. Additionally, 3B worker models provide a speedup ranging from 2.8x to 9x relative to the judge models, while 7B worker model combinations achieve a speedup ranging from 1.28x to 0.28x
title A Multi-Model Adaptation of Speculative Decoding for Classification
topic Computation and Language
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.18076