[r/LocalLLaMA] I spent a weekend doing layer surgery on 6 different model architectures. There's a "danger zone" at 50% depth that kills every one of them.

Summary

A researcher performed "layer surgery" on six different large language model architectures, duplicating transformer layers to study their stability. They discovered a universal "danger zone" at approximately 50-56% model depth where layer duplication consistently causes model failure across all tested architectures. This local research, conducted on Apple Silicon, also found that cross-model layer transplants are ineffective and optimal duplication depths vary by model type.

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