Discrete simulation optimization for tuning machine learning method hyperparameters

ABSTRACT

An important aspect of machine learning (ML) involves controlling the learning process for the ML method in question to maximize its performance. Hyperparameter tuning (HPT) involves selecting suitable ML method parameters that control its learning process. Given that HPT can be conceptualized as a black box optimization problem subject to stochasticity, simulation optimization (SO) methods appear well suited to this purpose. Therefore, we conceptualize HPT as a discrete SO problem and demonstrate the use of the Kim and Nelson (KN) ranking and selection method, and the stochastic ruler (SR) and the adaptive hyperbox (AH) random search methods for HPT. We also construct the theoretical basis for applying the KN method. We demonstrate the application of the KN and the SR methods to a wide variety of machine learning models, including deep neural network models. We then successfully benchmark the KN, SR and the AH methods against multiple state-of-the-art HPT methods.

KEYWORDS:

• Hyperparameter tuning
• Simulation optimisation
• Ranking and selection
• Random search
• Machine learning

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/17477778.2023.2219401.