2026/07/11 by Yifei Zhao, Ying Tang · 1 voice
#cs.LG #stat.ML
Recursive reasoning models address structured problems by repeatedly updating latent states of small neural networks. However, their test-time scaling lacks a principled inference mechanism: increasing depth or stochastic breadth generates more trajectories without a clear criterion for selection, and existing methods predominantly rely on additional q-heads or heuristic voting. Here, we develop the Energy-guided Recursive Model (ERM), which introduces an intrinsic selection principle based on explicit Hopfield energies. ERM leverages Hopfield-type memories of valid local or global structures to define the selector over candidate trajectories. The resulting energy seamlessly integrates with energy-based techniques such as parallel tempering to enhance sampling efficiency and ranking. With D=64 recurrent steps and K=128 candidates, ERM reaches optimal solutions on Sudoku (98.97%), Pencil Puzzle Bench (PPBench, 88.04%) and Maze (99.30%), improving upon recent Probabilistic Tiny Recursive Model and Equilibrium Reasoners. These results suggest that incorporating explicit energy functions into recursive reasoning offers a principled path toward more effective inference.