Llama 3 8B · SwiGLU MLP · OpenModelAtlas

32 independent transformer blocks

SwiGLU MLP

learnedself.feed_forward(self.ffn_norm(h))

Two learned feature branches combine to form a position-wise update to the residual stream.

h = a \odot u

\Delta_{\mathrm{mlp}} = hW_{\mathrm{down}}

All 5 steps

g = xW_{\mathrm{gate}}

u = xW_{\mathrm{up}}

a=g\,\sigma(g)

h = a \odot u

\Delta_{\mathrm{mlp}} = hW_{\mathrm{down}}

in: $x_{\mathrm{mlp}}$ [B batch, T positions, 4096 d]
out: $\Delta_{\mathrm{mlp}}$ [B batch, T positions, 4096 d]
parameters: 176,160,768 · × 32 blocks = 5,637,144,576

Parameters

176,160,768 parameters per instance, across its learned components

Exact per-instance accounting
Component	Calculation	Parameters
Gate projection	$4{,}096 \times 14{,}336$	58,720,256
Up projection	$4{,}096 \times 14{,}336$	58,720,256
Down projection	$14{,}336 \times 4{,}096$	58,720,256
Per-instance total		176,160,768

MLP width, derived from the configuration

$4d=4\times 4{,}096=16{,}384$ mlp-width config
$\left\lfloor \tfrac{2}{3}\times 16{,}384\right\rfloor=10{,}922$ mlp-width
$\left\lfloor 1.3\times 10{,}922\right\rfloor=14{,}198$ config mlp-width
$1{,}024\times\left\lceil 14{,}198/1{,}024\right\rceil=14{,}336=d_{ff}$ config mlp-width

Across 32 independent blocks: $176{,}160{,}768 \times 32 = 5{,}637{,}144{,}576$ parameters.

Derived from the pinned catalogue dimensions and implementation. Checkpoint tensors have not been independently counted.

Codemodel.py 193–248 · sku_list.py 19, 188–207

model.py 193–206

class FeedForward(nn.Module):
    def __init__(
        self,
        dim: int,
        hidden_dim: int,
        multiple_of: int,
        ffn_dim_multiplier: Optional[float],
    ):
        super().__init__()
        hidden_dim = int(2 * hidden_dim / 3)
        # custom dim factor multiplier
        if ffn_dim_multiplier is not None:
            hidden_dim = int(ffn_dim_multiplier * hidden_dim)
        hidden_dim = multiple_of * ((hidden_dim + multiple_of - 1) // multiple_of)

model.py 229–234

        self.feed_forward = FeedForward(
            dim=args.dim,
            hidden_dim=4 * args.dim,
            multiple_of=args.multiple_of,
            ffn_dim_multiplier=args.ffn_dim_multiplier,
        )

model.py 208–219

        self.w1 = ColumnParallelLinear(
            dim, hidden_dim, bias=False, gather_output=False, init_method=lambda x: x
        )
        self.w2 = RowParallelLinear(
            hidden_dim, dim, bias=False, input_is_parallel=True, init_method=lambda x: x
        )
        self.w3 = ColumnParallelLinear(
            dim, hidden_dim, bias=False, gather_output=False, init_method=lambda x: x
        )

    def forward(self, x):
        return self.w2(F.silu(self.w1(x)) * self.w3(x))

model.py 236–248

        self.attention_norm = RMSNorm(args.dim, eps=args.norm_eps)
        self.ffn_norm = RMSNorm(args.dim, eps=args.norm_eps)

    def forward(
        self,
        x: torch.Tensor,
        start_pos: int,
        freqs_cis: torch.Tensor,
        mask: Optional[torch.Tensor],
    ):
        h = x + self.attention(self.attention_norm(x), start_pos, freqs_cis, mask)
        out = h + self.feed_forward(self.ffn_norm(h))
        return out

sku_list.py 19

LLAMA3_VOCAB_SIZE = 128256

sku_list.py 188–207

def llama3_base_models() -> list[Model]:
    return [
        Model(
            core_model_id=CoreModelId.llama3_8b,
            description="Llama 3 8b model",
            huggingface_repo="meta-llama/Llama-3-8B",
            arch_args={
                "dim": 4096,
                "n_layers": 32,
                "n_heads": 32,
                "n_kv_heads": 8,
                "vocab_size": LLAMA3_VOCAB_SIZE,
                "ffn_dim_multiplier": 1.3,
                "multiple_of": 1024,
                "norm_eps": 1e-05,
                "rope_theta": 500000.0,
                "use_scaled_rope": False,
            },
            pth_file_count=1,
        ),

Sources4

Direct evidence

Meta’s original Llama 3 8B base catalogue entry supplies dimensions, head counts, vocabulary, MLP rounding settings, epsilon and unscaled RoPE settings.

config · meta-llama/llama-models / models/sku_list.py
Pinned revision 0e0b8c519242 ↗ · lines 19–207

Read code excerpt

LLAMA3_VOCAB_SIZE = 128256

… lines 20–187 omitted …

def llama3_base_models() -> list[Model]:
    return [
        Model(
            core_model_id=CoreModelId.llama3_8b,
            description="Llama 3 8b model",
            huggingface_repo="meta-llama/Llama-3-8B",
            arch_args={
                "dim": 4096,
                "n_layers": 32,
                "n_heads": 32,
                "n_kv_heads": 8,
                "vocab_size": LLAMA3_VOCAB_SIZE,
                "ffn_dim_multiplier": 1.3,
                "multiple_of": 1024,
                "norm_eps": 1e-05,
                "rope_theta": 500000.0,
                "use_scaled_rope": False,
            },
            pth_file_count=1,
        ),

Direct evidence

The block passes four times model width; FeedForward truncates, applies the configured multiplier and rounds to the configured multiple.

mlp-width · meta-llama/llama3 / llama/model.py
Pinned revision a0940f9cf706 ↗ · lines 193–234

Read code excerpt

class FeedForward(nn.Module):
    def __init__(
        self,
        dim: int,
        hidden_dim: int,
        multiple_of: int,
        ffn_dim_multiplier: Optional[float],
    ):
        super().__init__()
        hidden_dim = int(2 * hidden_dim / 3)
        # custom dim factor multiplier
        if ffn_dim_multiplier is not None:
            hidden_dim = int(ffn_dim_multiplier * hidden_dim)
        hidden_dim = multiple_of * ((hidden_dim + multiple_of - 1) // multiple_of)

… lines 207–228 omitted …

        self.feed_forward = FeedForward(
            dim=args.dim,
            hidden_dim=4 * args.dim,
            multiple_of=args.multiple_of,
            ffn_dim_multiplier=args.ffn_dim_multiplier,
        )

Direct evidence

The MLP owns three bias-free projections. Its forward expression applies SiLU to w1(x), multiplies w3(x) element-wise and projects through w2.

mlp · meta-llama/llama3 / llama/model.py
Pinned revision a0940f9cf706 ↗ · lines 208–219

Read code excerpt

        self.w1 = ColumnParallelLinear(
            dim, hidden_dim, bias=False, gather_output=False, init_method=lambda x: x
        )
        self.w2 = RowParallelLinear(
            hidden_dim, dim, bias=False, input_is_parallel=True, init_method=lambda x: x
        )
        self.w3 = ColumnParallelLinear(
            dim, hidden_dim, bias=False, gather_output=False, init_method=lambda x: x
        )

    def forward(self, x):
        return self.w2(F.silu(self.w1(x)) * self.w3(x))

Direct evidence

Attention receives attention_norm(x) and its update is added to x; the MLP receives ffn_norm(h) and its update is added to h.

handoff · meta-llama/llama3 / llama/model.py
Pinned revision a0940f9cf706 ↗ · lines 236–248

Read code excerpt

        self.attention_norm = RMSNorm(args.dim, eps=args.norm_eps)
        self.ffn_norm = RMSNorm(args.dim, eps=args.norm_eps)

    def forward(
        self,
        x: torch.Tensor,
        start_pos: int,
        freqs_cis: torch.Tensor,
        mask: Optional[torch.Tensor],
    ):
        h = x + self.attention(self.attention_norm(x), start_pos, freqs_cis, mask)
        out = h + self.feed_forward(self.ffn_norm(h))
        return out