What Powers Large Language Models? – Training, Alignment & Optimization Explained

Mastering Large Language Models: A Practical Guide to Training, Alignment, and Inference Large language models (LLMs) have rapidly evolved from research curiosities into foundational tools for natural language processing. These models can generate coherent text, answer complex questions, write code, and even assist in scientific reasoning. However, their power stems not from magic, but from a well-defined technical pipeline that includes pre-training, fine-tuning, alignment, and efficient inference. This guide breaks down each stage using only insights derived from current research, offering a clear, practical understanding suitable for readers with a junior college education or higher. We will explore how these …