VocabX tokenizer specialization cuts inference cost 77% for Qwen3-4B essay grader
Researchers/engineers report applying a method called VocabX to rebuild the tokenizer for a Qwen3-4B-based automated Portuguese essay grader while keeping the same base model, data, and training recipe; they measure a 77% reduction in inference cost by optimizing the vocabulary around per-token decode cost rather than token frequency. The numbers come from a paper currently under review and may change before publication.