Comparison

Comparing CNN, RNN, and Self-Attention Architectures

When evaluating architectures such as CNNs, RNNs, and self-attention for mapping an input sequence of nn tokens to an output sequence of the same length (with each token represented as a dd-dimensional vector), three main properties are compared: computational complexity, sequential operations, and maximum path lengths. A smaller number of sequential operations is desirable as it allows for parallel computation, while a shorter maximum path length between tokens makes it easier for the network to learn long-range dependencies.

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Updated 2026-09-07

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Complexity and Path Lengths in Self-Attention - Foundational Deep Learning Architectures: Transformers and Residual Networks @ University of Michigan - Ann Arbor