yoavg

Learning LLMs in 2025

So you know how the transformer works, and you know basic ML/DL, and you want to learn more about LLMs. One way to go is looking into the various "algorithmic" stuff (optimization algorithms, RL, DPO, etc). Lot's of materials on that. But the interesting stuff is (in my opinion at least) not there.

This is an attempt to collect a list of academic (or academic-like) materials that explore LLMs from other directions, and focus on the non-ML-algorithmic aspects.

Courses

• David Chiang's Theory of Neural Networks course.
• This is not primarily LLMs, but does have substantial section on Transformers. Formal/Theory. More of a book than a course.

veekaybee

Anti-hype LLM reading list

Goals: Add links that are reasonable and good explanations of how stuff works. No hype and no vendor content if possible. Practical first-hand accounts of models in prod eagerly sought.

Foundational Concepts

Pre-Transformer Models

AustinRochford

AustinRochford

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  {
   "cell_type": "code",
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fperez

bayesian_neural_network.ipynb

bayesian_neural_network.ipynb

sergeyf

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
import seaborn

from keras.layers import Input, Dense, merge, ELU, Dropout
from keras.models import Model
from keras.regularizers import l2
from keras import backend as K
from keras.optimizers import rmsprop, adam

danijar

# Working example for my blog post at:
# https://danijar.github.io/structuring-your-tensorflow-models
import functools
import tensorflow as tf
from tensorflow.examples.tutorials.mnist import input_data


def doublewrap(function):
    """
    A decorator decorator, allowing to use the decorator to be used without

taku-y