The paper presents the first instruction-level fault injection study of large language model (LLM) inference, focusing on how GPU soft errors affect these compute- and memory-intensive models. It examines the impact of model architecture, parameter scale, and task complexity on LLM vulnerability, revealing distinct reliability characteristics compared to earlier neural networks. The study offers new insights that can guide the development of more effective fault tolerance mechanisms for LLMs.
By Duo Chai, Zizhen Liu, Shuhuai Wang, Songwei Pei, Cheng Liu, Huawei Li, Shangguang Wang
arXiv:2606. 02430v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly integrated into high-performance computing (HPC) workflows, accelerating scientific discovery through diverse perspectives such as code generation and domain-specific decision-making.
By Yafan Huang, Sheng Di, Guanpeng Li
The study examines how reducing the width of deep neural networks through structured pruning affects their robustness to Single Event Upsets (SEUs). By iteratively pruning baseline models and conducting fault-injection tests at each stage, the authors find that while pruning increases per-inference sensitivity to bit-flips, the shorter execution time offsets this, lowering the overall SEU probability. Consequently, structured pruning can deliver energy and latency savings without compromising reliability for space-based AI systems.
By Toon Vinck, Na\"in Jonckers, Jaro De Roose, Jeffrey Prinzie, Peter Karsmakers
arXiv:2610.27621v1 Announce Type: cross
Abstract: Deep learning (DL) models are increasingly being deployed into radiation-challenging environments in spacecraft, particle accelerators, and, soon, sp...
By Peter Xiangyuan Ma, Joshua S. Bloom
arXiv:2603. 22770v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: The deployment of deep neural networks (DNNs) in safety-critical edge environments necessitates robustness against hardware-induced bit-flip errors.
By Alan T. L. Bacellar, Sathvik Chemudupati, Shashank Nag, Allison Seigler, Priscila M. V. Lima, Felipe M. G. Fran\c{c}a, Lizy K. John
The paper argues that large language models cannot achieve perfect reliability for any task, even with unlimited scale. It establishes that each generative task has an inherent reliability ceiling set by how much output uncertainty can be resolved from observable context, with a resolvable part that can be improved by more context and a subjective part tied to task ambiguity. The authors derive a scaling law showing that performance is limited by the scarcer resource—either training data or model capacity—and explain how this law explains phenomena such as retrieval augmentation and catastrophic forgetting.
By Subhabrata Majumdar