Related papers: Automated Algorithm Selection on Continuous Black-…
It has long been observed that for practically any computational problem that has been intensely studied, different instances are best solved using different algorithms. This is particularly pronounced for computationally hard problems,…
Landscape-aware algorithm selection approaches have so far mostly been relying on landscape feature extraction as a preprocessing step, independent of the execution of optimization algorithms in the portfolio. This introduces a significant…
Automated per-instance algorithm selection and configuration have shown promising performances for a number of classic optimization problems, including satisfiability, AI planning, and TSP. The techniques often rely on a set of features…
In black-box optimization, a central question is which algorithm to use to solve a given, previously unseen, problem. Selecting a single algorithm, however, entails inherent risks: inaccuracies in the selector may lead to poor choices, and…
Theoretical and empirical research on evolutionary computation methods complement each other by providing two fundamentally different approaches towards a better understanding of black-box optimization heuristics. In discrete optimization,…
Exploratory landscape analysis (ELA) supports supervised learning approaches for automated algorithm selection and configuration by providing sets of features that quantify the most relevant characteristics of the optimization problem at…
Optimization is ubiquitous in our daily lives. In the past, (sub-)optimal solutions to any problem have been derived by trial and error, sheer luck, or the expertise of knowledgeable individuals. In our contemporary age, there thankfully…
Black-box optimization is a very active area of research, with many new algorithms being developed every year. This variety is needed, on the one hand, since different algorithms are most suitable for different types of optimization…
In typical black-box optimization applications, the available computational budget is often allocated to a single algorithm, typically chosen based on user preference with limited knowledge about the problem at hand or according to some…
The optimization of expensive-to-evaluate black-box functions over combinatorial structures is an ubiquitous task in machine learning, engineering and the natural sciences. The combinatorial explosion of the search space and costly…
We introduce COCO, an open source platform for Comparing Continuous Optimizers in a black-box setting. COCO aims at automatizing the tedious and repetitive task of benchmarking numerical optimization algorithms to the greatest possible…
Performance complementarity of solvers available to tackle black-box optimization problems gives rise to the important task of algorithm selection (AS). Automated AS approaches can help replace tedious and labor-intensive manual selection,…
In discrete-variable black-box optimization, the number of candidate solutions grows combinatorially, while each evaluation is often expensive. Therefore, it is important to identify promising solutions efficiently within a limited number…
Combining quantum computers with classical compute power has become a standard means for developing algorithms that are eventually supposed to beat any purely classical alternatives. While in-principle advantages for solution quality or…
Selecting the most suitable algorithm and determining its hyperparameters for a given optimization problem is a challenging task. Accurately predicting how well a certain algorithm could solve the problem is hence desirable. Recent studies…
In all but the most trivial optimization problems, the structure of the solutions exhibit complex interdependencies between the input parameters. Decades of research with stochastic search techniques has shown the benefit of explicitly…
Recent advances in algorithmic design show how to utilize predictions obtained by machine learning models from past and present data. These approaches have demonstrated an enhancement in performance when the predictions are accurate, while…
The application of machine learning (ML) models to the analysis of optimization algorithms requires the representation of optimization problems using numerical features. These features can be used as input for ML models that are trained to…
This paper explores a novel approach aimed at overcoming existing challenges in the realm of local search algorithms. Our aim is to improve the decision process that takes place within a local search algorithm so as to make the best…
We develop algorithms capable of tackling robust black-box optimisation problems, where the number of model runs is limited. When a desired solution cannot be implemented exactly the aim is to find a robust one, where the worst case in an…