Mingjie Tang
2026
LoopCoder: Scaling Code Intelligence via Looped Language Models
Jian Yang | Wei Zhang | Shuyue Guo | Yizhi LI | Linzheng Chai | Zhengmao Ye | Shukai Liu | Yuyang Song | Jiajun Wu | Che Liu | Tianyu Zheng | Siwei Wu | Leo L | Xudong Ma | Chuan Hao | Ran Tao | Yan Xing | Jianzhou Wang | Mingjie Tang | Aishan Liu | Zhoujun Li | Xianglong Liu | Weifeng Lv | Bryan Dai
Findings of the Association for Computational Linguistics: ACL 2026
Jian Yang | Wei Zhang | Shuyue Guo | Yizhi LI | Linzheng Chai | Zhengmao Ye | Shukai Liu | Yuyang Song | Jiajun Wu | Che Liu | Tianyu Zheng | Siwei Wu | Leo L | Xudong Ma | Chuan Hao | Ran Tao | Yan Xing | Jianzhou Wang | Mingjie Tang | Aishan Liu | Zhoujun Li | Xianglong Liu | Weifeng Lv | Bryan Dai
Findings of the Association for Computational Linguistics: ACL 2026
While large language models (LLMs) have mastered syntax-level code generation, complex algorithmic reasoning remains a challenge, typically addressed by scaling model depth and parameter count. Universal Transformers (UT) offer a compelling alternative by introducing a recurrent inductive bias that aligns with the recursive nature of programming logic. However, training looped architectures at scale has historically been hindered by severe instability and optimization difficulties associated with backpropagation through time (BPTT). We present LoopCoder (40B-A80B) pre-trained on 12T+ code and general tokens, along with LoopCoder-Thinking and LoopCoder-Instruct variants—the first large-scale looped transformer for code, achieving comparable performance to standard dense architectures with more parameters. Unlike prior approaches that restrict recurrence to small-scale tasks, we implement a comprehensive looped training protocol spanning both pre-training and post-training phases. We initiate the model via dense-to-loop transformation, folding a pre-trained dense checkpoint to initialize a recurrent block, followed by rigorous looped pre-training and specialized post-training for instruction following and reasoning. Our results establish a robust recipe for scaling coding intelligence via recurrent computation, proving that dense checkpoints serve as an optimal foundation for evolving into dynamic, looped reasoners.
2025
Tuning Less, Prompting More: In-Context Preference Learning Pipeline for Natural Language Transformation
Shuyun Yang | Yan Zhang | Zhengmao Ye | Lei Duan | Mingjie Tang
Proceedings of the 2025 Conference on Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing
Shuyun Yang | Yan Zhang | Zhengmao Ye | Lei Duan | Mingjie Tang
Proceedings of the 2025 Conference on Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing
Natural language transformation (NLT) tasks, such as machine translation (MT) and text style transfer (TST), require models to generate accurate and contextually appropriate outputs. However, existing approaches face significant challenges, including the computational costs of leveraging large pre-trained models and the limited generalization ability of fine-tuned smaller models. In this paper, we propose a novel framework that combines the flexibility of prompting with the cost-effectiveness of fine-tuning. Our method enhances smaller models by integrating In-Context Examples (ICE) from retrieval, enabling the model to better capture contextual information and align with user-level preferences. We further improve performance through hierarchical contrastive learning and dynamic preference inference mechanisms. Experimental results demonstrate that our approach outperforms existing methods, such as Supervised Fine Tuning (SFT), Direct Preference Optimization (DPO), and Contrastive Preference Optimization (CPO), across both MT and TST tasks, providing a more efficient solution for resource-constrained environments.