Scaling Laws for Neural Language Models: Predicting Performance from Scale
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Scaling Laws for Neural Language Models: Predicting Performance from Scale

Michael Brenndoerfer•November 2, 2025•16 min read•3,927 words•Interactive

A comprehensive guide covering the 2020 scaling laws discovered by Kaplan et al. Learn how power-law relationships predict model performance from scale, enabling informed resource allocation, how scaling laws transformed model development planning, and their profound impact on GPT-3 and subsequent large language models.

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Reference

BIBTEXAcademic
@misc{scalinglawsforneurallanguagemodelspredictingperformancefromscale, author = {Michael Brenndoerfer}, title = {Scaling Laws for Neural Language Models: Predicting Performance from Scale}, year = {2025}, url = {https://mbrenndoerfer.com/writing/scaling-laws-neural-language-models-power-law-predictions}, organization = {mbrenndoerfer.com}, note = {Accessed: 2025-11-02} }
APAAcademic
Michael Brenndoerfer (2025). Scaling Laws for Neural Language Models: Predicting Performance from Scale. Retrieved from https://mbrenndoerfer.com/writing/scaling-laws-neural-language-models-power-law-predictions
MLAAcademic
Michael Brenndoerfer. "Scaling Laws for Neural Language Models: Predicting Performance from Scale." 2025. Web. 11/2/2025. <https://mbrenndoerfer.com/writing/scaling-laws-neural-language-models-power-law-predictions>.
CHICAGOAcademic
Michael Brenndoerfer. "Scaling Laws for Neural Language Models: Predicting Performance from Scale." Accessed 11/2/2025. https://mbrenndoerfer.com/writing/scaling-laws-neural-language-models-power-law-predictions.
HARVARDAcademic
Michael Brenndoerfer (2025) 'Scaling Laws for Neural Language Models: Predicting Performance from Scale'. Available at: https://mbrenndoerfer.com/writing/scaling-laws-neural-language-models-power-law-predictions (Accessed: 11/2/2025).
SimpleBasic
Michael Brenndoerfer (2025). Scaling Laws for Neural Language Models: Predicting Performance from Scale. https://mbrenndoerfer.com/writing/scaling-laws-neural-language-models-power-law-predictions
Michael Brenndoerfer

About the author: Michael Brenndoerfer

All opinions expressed here are my own and do not reflect the views of my employer.

Michael currently works as an Associate Director of Data Science at EQT Partners in Singapore, where he drives AI and data initiatives across private capital investments.

With over a decade of experience spanning private equity, management consulting, and software engineering, he specializes in building and scaling analytics capabilities from the ground up. He has published research in leading AI conferences and holds expertise in machine learning, natural language processing, and value creation through data.

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