arXiv:2512.18934cs.LGcs.AI2025-12

8-bit量化反而让大模型持续学习表现更好,比全精度模型更抗遗忘。

When Less is More: 8-bit Quantization Improves Continual Learning in Large Language Models

  • 用8位量化降低精度,意外提升模型持续学习能力。
  • 8位量化在代码生成上表现翻倍(40%对20%),远超全精度模型。
  • 小规模回放缓冲区(0.1%)即可显著提升记忆保持率,适合部署优化。

灾难性遗忘是持续学习中的核心挑战,尤其在为部署效率进行量化时。我们系统研究了量化精度(FP16、INT8、INT4)与回放缓冲区策略在大语言模型中的相互作用,揭示出意外动态:虽然FP16在初始任务上表现更优(NLU任务达74.44%),但在后续任务中出现显著反转——量化模型在最终任务前向准确率上领先FP16达8-15%,其中INT4在代码生成任务上达到40%,几乎是FP16的两倍(20%)。关键发现是,极小的回放缓冲区(0.1%)即可大幅提升保留能力——数学任务后自然语言理解保留率从45%升至65%,且所有精度下均如此;其中,INT8始终在学习灵活性与知识保留间取得最佳平衡。我们推测,量化引入的噪声起到了隐式正则化作用,防止高精度模型对新任务梯度的过拟合。这些发现挑战了‘精度越高越好’的传统认知,表明INT8量化在提升计算效率的同时,也带来更优的持续学习动态。结果为压缩模型部署提供实用指导:针对NLU任务,1-2%的小缓冲区足够;数学与代码任务需适度缓冲区(5-10%),且量化模型所需回放量低于FP16即可达到相似保留效果。代码已开源于https://github.com/Festyve/LessIsMore。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

Catastrophic forgetting poses a fundamental challenge in continual learning, particularly when models are quantized for deployment efficiency. We systematically investigate the interplay between quantization precision (FP16, INT8, INT4) and replay buffer strategies in large language models, revealing unexpected dynamics. While FP16 achieves superior initial task performance (74.44% on NLU), we observe a striking inversion on subsequent tasks: quantized models outperform FP16 by 8-15% on final task forward accuracy, with INT4 achieving nearly double FP16's performance on Code generation (40% vs 20%). Critically, even minimal replay buffers (0.1%) dramatically improve retention - increasing NLU retention after Math training from 45% to 65% across all precision levels - with INT8 consistently achieving the optimal balance between learning plasticity and knowledge retention. We hypothesize that quantization-induced noise acts as implicit regularization, preventing the overfitting to new task gradients that plagues high-precision models. These findings challenge the conventional wisdom that higher precision is always preferable, suggesting instead that INT8 quantization offers both computational efficiency and superior continual learning dynamics. Our results provide practical guidelines for deploying compressed models in continual learning scenarios: small replay buffers (1-2%) suffice for NLU tasks, while Math and Code benefit from moderate buffers (5-10%), with quantized models requiring less replay than FP16 to achieve comparable retention. Code is available at https://github.com/Festyve/LessIsMore.

量化持续学习大模型推理优化

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