aiqbench analysis
This paper is squarely about AI: a new linear-attention mechanism for autoregressive image generation, with the core contribution being a spatial-aware decay that fixes quality loss when 2D token maps are flattened for AR models. For readers, the practical takeaway is a potential route to cheaper, lower-memory image generators that avoid quadratic Transformer attention, though the evidence rests on ImageNet benchmarks and a comparison against Transformer AR baselines that should be checked against the full results before drawing strong efficiency conclusions.
Autoregressive Image Generation with Linear Complexity: A Spatial-Aware Decay Perspective
arXiv:2507.01652v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: Autoregressive (AR) models have recently emerged as a promising paradigm for image generation, as they can model visual tokens through the same next-token prediction principle that underlies large language models. However, most competitive AR image generators still rely on Transformer attention, whose quadratic token interaction cost and growing key-value cache become increasingly expensive for high-resolution visual sequences. Linear attention provides an attractive route to efficient AR generation, but our study shows that directly importing linear or decay-based attention from language modeling leads to clear quality degradation. We identify a key cause: after a 2D token map is flattened by raster scan, 1D sequence locality no longer faithfully reflects spatial locality, and conventional decay mechanisms may introduce a false-locality bias at row transitions. To address this problem, we propose Linear Attention with Spatial-Aware Decay (LASAD), a simple recurrent attention mechanism that modulates decay according to the original 2D token geometry while preserving linear complexity. Built upon this layer, LASADGen replaces standard attention in an AR image generator with spatial-aware linear attention. Experiments on ImageNet demonstrate that LASADGen achieves a favorable quality-efficiency tradeoff, improving generation quality over linear-attention baselines while reducing inference cost and memory usage compared with Transformer-based AR models.
Abstract:Autoregressive (AR) models have recently emerged as a promising paradigm for image generation, as they can model visual tokens through the same next-token prediction principle that underlies large language models. However, most competitive AR image generators still rely on Transformer attention, whose quadratic token interaction cost and growing key-value cache become increasingly expensive for high-resolution visual sequences. Linear attention provides an attractive route to efficient AR generation, but our study shows that directly importing linear or decay-based attention from language modeling leads to clear quality degradation. We identify a key cause: after a 2D token map is flattened by raster scan, 1D sequence locality no longer faithfully reflects spatial locality, and conventional decay mechanisms may introduce a false-locality bias at row transitions. To address this problem, we propose Linear Attention with Spatial-Aware Decay (LASAD), a simple recurrent attention mechanism that modulates decay according to the original 2D token geometry while preserving linear complexity. Built upon this layer, LASADGen replaces standard attention in an AR image generator with spatial-aware linear attention. Experiments on ImageNet demonstrate that LASADGen achieves a favorable quality-efficiency tradeoff, improving generation quality over linear-attention baselines while reducing inference cost and memory usage compared with Transformer-based AR models.
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (cs.CV); Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI); Multimedia (cs.MM)
arXiv:2507.01652 [cs.CV]
(or arXiv:2507.01652v2 [cs.CV] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2507.01652 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite
arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website.
Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them.
Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs.
Full text under the publisher's open licence · 299 words