dynamic neural networks
**Dynamic Neural Networks** are **neural networks whose architecture, parameters, or computational graph change during inference** — adapting their structure based on the input, resource constraints, or other runtime conditions, in contrast to static networks with fixed computation.
**Types of Dynamic Networks**
- **Dynamic Depth**: Vary the number of layers executed per input (early exit, skip connections).
- **Dynamic Width**: Vary the number of channels or neurons per layer (slimmable networks).
- **Dynamic Routing**: Route inputs through different paths in the network (MoE, capsule routing).
- **Dynamic Parameters**: Generate parameters conditioned on the input (hypernetworks, dynamic convolutions).
**Why It Matters**
- **Efficiency**: Adapt computation to input difficulty — easy inputs use less computation.
- **Flexibility**: One model serves multiple deployment scenarios with different resource budgets.
- **State-of-Art**: Large language models (GPT-4, Mixtral) use dynamic routing (MoE) for efficient scaling.
**Dynamic Neural Networks** are **shape-shifting models** — adapting their own architecture and computation at inference time for maximum flexibility and efficiency.