diff --git a/ai_edge_torch/_convert/fx_passes/build_aten_composite_pass.py b/ai_edge_torch/_convert/fx_passes/build_aten_composite_pass.py
index 3e92d9cd..fcc45513 100644
--- a/ai_edge_torch/_convert/fx_passes/build_aten_composite_pass.py
+++ b/ai_edge_torch/_convert/fx_passes/build_aten_composite_pass.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 from typing import Any, Callable
 from ai_edge_torch import fx_infra
 from ai_edge_torch import lowertools
+from ai_edge_torch.odml_torch import optimization_barrier as optimization_barrier_lib
 import torch
 import torch.utils._pytree as pytree
 
@@ -276,6 +277,7 @@ def embedding(*args, **kwargs):
     # Explicitly reshape back to the original shape. This places the ReshapeOp
     # outside of the HLFB.
     output = torch.reshape(output, (*(original_idx_shape), embedding_dim))
+    output, _ = optimization_barrier_lib.optimization_barrier(output, idx)
     return output
 
   node.target = embedding
diff --git a/ai_edge_torch/generative/examples/smolvlm2/verify_encoder.py b/ai_edge_torch/generative/examples/smolvlm2/verify_encoder.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8b66cf6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ai_edge_torch/generative/examples/smolvlm2/verify_encoder.py
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+# Copyright 2024 The AI Edge Torch Authors.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+# ==============================================================================
+"""Verifies the reauthored SmolVLM2 Image Encoder model."""
+
+import logging
+
+from absl import app
+from absl import flags
+from ai_edge_torch.generative.examples.smolvlm2 import smolvlm2
+from ai_edge_torch.generative.examples.smolvlm2 import vision_encoder
+from PIL import Image
+import requests
+import torch
+import transformers
+
+_IMAGE_URL = flags.DEFINE_string(
+    "image_url",
+    "https://huggingface.co/datasets/huggingface/documentation-images/resolve/main/transformers/tasks/car.jpg?download=true",
+    "The image URI to encode.",
+)
+
+_CHECKPOINT = flags.DEFINE_string(
+    "checkpoint",
+    "HuggingFaceTB/SmolVLM2-2.2B-Instruct",
+    "The checkpoint to verify.",
+)
+
+
+def main(_):
+  checkpoint = _CHECKPOINT.value
+  logging.info("Loading the original model from: %s", checkpoint)
+  original_model = transformers.AutoModelForImageTextToText.from_pretrained(
+      checkpoint
+  )
+  original_model = original_model.eval().model
+
+  logging.info("Building the reauthored checkpoint from: %s", checkpoint)
+  reauthored_checkpoint = "/google/data/rw/users/ay/ayqzhang/smolvlm2_merged.safetensors"
+
+  logging.info("Building the reauthored model from: %s", reauthored_checkpoint)
+  reauthored_model = vision_encoder.build_image_encoder(reauthored_checkpoint)
+
+  logging.info("Loading the tokenizer from: %s", checkpoint)
+  processor = transformers.AutoProcessor.from_pretrained(checkpoint)
+
+  logging.info("Loading the image from: %s", _IMAGE_URL.value)
+  image = Image.open(requests.get(_IMAGE_URL.value, stream=True).raw)
+  pixel_values = processor(images=image, return_tensors="pt")["pixel_values"]
+
+  logging.info("Forwarding the original model...")
+  outputs_original = original_model.get_image_features(pixel_values)
+  # outputs_original = outputs_original.last_hidden_state
+  logging.info("outputs_original's shape: %s", outputs_original.shape)
+
+  pixel_values = pixel_values.reshape(
+      pixel_values.shape[0] * pixel_values.shape[1], *pixel_values.shape[2:]
+  )
+  logging.info("Forwarding the reauthored model...")
+  outputs_reauthored = reauthored_model.forward(
+      pixel_values=pixel_values
+  )
+  logging.info("outputs_reauthored's shape: %s", outputs_reauthored.shape)
+
+  try:
+    assert torch.allclose(
+        outputs_original, outputs_reauthored, atol=1e-03, rtol=1e-04
+    )
+  except AssertionError as e:
+    logging.error("*** FAILED *** verify with an image")
+    raise e
+  else:
+    logging.info("*** PASSED *** verify with an image")
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+  app.run(main)
diff --git a/ai_edge_torch/generative/examples/smolvlm2/vision_encoder.py b/ai_edge_torch/generative/examples/smolvlm2/vision_encoder.py
index 676c5c32..99c6e762 100644
--- a/ai_edge_torch/generative/examples/smolvlm2/vision_encoder.py
+++ b/ai_edge_torch/generative/examples/smolvlm2/vision_encoder.py
@@ -129,7 +129,18 @@ def forward(
       pixel_values: torch.Tensor,
       export_config: export_cfg.ExportConfig = None,
   ) -> torch.Tensor:
-    x = self.siglip_encoder(pixel_values)
+    # Embed the image according to SiplipVisionEmbeddings.
+    x = self.siglip_encoder.tok_embedding(pixel_values)
+    x = x.flatten(2).transpose(1, 2)
+    x = x + self.siglip_encoder.tok_embedding_position
+
+    # Pass a dummy mask because SDPA attention impl expects non-None mask.
+    mask = torch.zeros(x.shape[0], 1, x.shape[1], x.shape[1])
+    for _, block in enumerate(self.siglip_encoder.transformer_blocks):
+      x = block(x, mask=mask)
+    x = self.siglip_encoder.final_norm(x)
+
+    # Project the image embeddings to text hidden size.
     x = self.connector(x)
     return x
 
@@ -166,7 +177,8 @@ def get_image_encoder_config() -> cfg.ModelConfig:
       output_proj_use_bias=True,
   )
   norm_config = cfg.NormalizationConfig(
-      type=cfg.NormalizationType.LAYER_NORM, epsilon=1e-6
+      type=cfg.NormalizationType.LAYER_NORM, epsilon=1e-6,
+      # enable_hlfb=False
   )
   ff_config = cfg.FeedForwardConfig(
       type=cfg.FeedForwardType.SEQUENTIAL,
diff --git a/ai_edge_torch/odml_torch/optimization_barrier.py b/ai_edge_torch/odml_torch/optimization_barrier.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0fe7b3f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ai_edge_torch/odml_torch/optimization_barrier.py
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+# Copyright 2025 The AI Edge Torch Authors.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+# ==============================================================================
+"""Optimization barrier op definition and lowering."""
+
+from typing import Sequence
+
+from ai_edge_torch.odml_torch import _torch_library
+from ai_edge_torch.odml_torch.lowerings import registry
+from jax._src.lib.mlir import ir
+from jax._src.lib.mlir.dialects import hlo as stablehlo
+import torch
+
+_torch_library.ODML_TORCH_LIB.define("optimization_barrier(Tensor[] inputs) -> Tensor[]")
+
+optimization_barrier_op = torch.ops.odml_torch.optimization_barrier.default
+
+
+def optimization_barrier(*inputs: torch.Tensor):
+  return optimization_barrier_op(tuple(inputs))
+
+
+@torch.library.impl(
+    _torch_library.ODML_TORCH_LIB,
+    "optimization_barrier",
+    "CompositeExplicitAutograd",
+)
+def _optimization_barrier_impl(inputs: tuple[torch.Tensor, ...]):
+  return tuple(inputs)
+
+
+@torch.library.impl(
+    _torch_library.ODML_TORCH_LIB,
+    "optimization_barrier",
+    "Meta",
+)
+def _optimization_barrier_fake(inputs: tuple[torch.Tensor, ...]):
+  return tuple([torch.empty_like(x) for x in inputs])
+
+
+@registry.lower(torch.ops.odml_torch.optimization_barrier.default)
+def _optimization_barrier_lowering(
+    lctx, inputs: tuple[ir.Value, ...]
+) -> ir.Value:
+  del lctx
+  return stablehlo.optimization_barrier(inputs)
diff --git a/ai_edge_torch/odml_torch/test/test_optimization_barrier.py b/ai_edge_torch/odml_torch/test/test_optimization_barrier.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..82150d2a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ai_edge_torch/odml_torch/test/test_optimization_barrier.py
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+# Copyright 2025 The AI Edge Torch Authors.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+# ==============================================================================
+from ai_edge_torch import odml_torch
+from ai_edge_torch.odml_torch import optimization_barrier as optimization_barrier_lib  # Import to register the op.
+import torch
+
+from absl.testing import absltest as googletest
+
+optimization_barrier = optimization_barrier_lib.optimization_barrier
+
+
+class TestOptimizationBarrier(googletest.TestCase):
+  """Test optimization barrier op implementation and lowering."""
+
+  def test_optimization_barrier_op(self):
+
+    class TestModel(torch.nn.Module):
+
+      def forward(self, x, y):
+        x, _ = optimization_barrier(x, y)
+        return x
+
+    x = torch.randn(1, 5)
+    ep = torch.export.export(TestModel().eval(), (x, x))
+    mlir = odml_torch.export.exported_program_to_mlir(ep)
+    mlir_text = mlir.get_text()
+    self.assertEqual(
+        mlir_text.count(
+            "stablehlo.optimization_barrier %arg1, %arg1 : tensor<1x5xf32>,"
+            " tensor<1x5xf32>"
+        ),
+        1,
+    )
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+  googletest.main()