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Main Authors: Thudumu, Srikanth, Nguyen, Hy, Du, Hung, Duong, Nhat, Rasool, Zafaryab, Logothetis, Rena, Barnett, Scott, Vasa, Rajesh, Mouzakis, Kon
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.17361
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author Thudumu, Srikanth
Nguyen, Hy
Du, Hung
Duong, Nhat
Rasool, Zafaryab
Logothetis, Rena
Barnett, Scott
Vasa, Rajesh
Mouzakis, Kon
author_facet Thudumu, Srikanth
Nguyen, Hy
Du, Hung
Duong, Nhat
Rasool, Zafaryab
Logothetis, Rena
Barnett, Scott
Vasa, Rajesh
Mouzakis, Kon
contents Neural Architecture Search (NAS) aims to automate the design of deep neural networks. However, existing NAS techniques often focus on maximising accuracy, neglecting model efficiency. This limitation restricts their use in resource-constrained environments like mobile devices and edge computing systems. Moreover, current evaluation metrics prioritise performance over efficiency, lacking a balanced approach for assessing architectures suitable for constrained scenarios. To address these challenges, this paper introduces the M-factor, a novel metric combining model accuracy and size. Four diverse NAS techniques are compared: Policy-Based Reinforcement Learning, Regularised Evolution, Tree-structured Parzen Estimator (TPE), and Multi-trial Random Search. These techniques represent different NAS paradigms, providing a comprehensive evaluation of the M-factor. The study analyses ResNet configurations on the CIFAR-10 dataset, with a search space of 19,683 configurations. Experiments reveal that Policy-Based Reinforcement Learning and Regularised Evolution achieved M-factor values of 0.84 and 0.82, respectively, while Multi-trial Random Search attained 0.75, and TPE reached 0.67. Policy-Based Reinforcement Learning exhibited performance changes after 39 trials, while Regularised Evolution optimised within 20 trials. The research investigates the optimisation dynamics and trade-offs between accuracy and model size for each strategy. Findings indicate that, in some cases, random search performed comparably to more complex algorithms when assessed using the M-factor. These results highlight how the M-factor addresses the limitations of existing metrics by guiding NAS towards balanced architectures, offering valuable insights for selecting strategies in scenarios requiring both performance and efficiency.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_17361
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The M-factor: A Novel Metric for Evaluating Neural Architecture Search in Resource-Constrained Environments
Thudumu, Srikanth
Nguyen, Hy
Du, Hung
Duong, Nhat
Rasool, Zafaryab
Logothetis, Rena
Barnett, Scott
Vasa, Rajesh
Mouzakis, Kon
Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
Neural Architecture Search (NAS) aims to automate the design of deep neural networks. However, existing NAS techniques often focus on maximising accuracy, neglecting model efficiency. This limitation restricts their use in resource-constrained environments like mobile devices and edge computing systems. Moreover, current evaluation metrics prioritise performance over efficiency, lacking a balanced approach for assessing architectures suitable for constrained scenarios. To address these challenges, this paper introduces the M-factor, a novel metric combining model accuracy and size. Four diverse NAS techniques are compared: Policy-Based Reinforcement Learning, Regularised Evolution, Tree-structured Parzen Estimator (TPE), and Multi-trial Random Search. These techniques represent different NAS paradigms, providing a comprehensive evaluation of the M-factor. The study analyses ResNet configurations on the CIFAR-10 dataset, with a search space of 19,683 configurations. Experiments reveal that Policy-Based Reinforcement Learning and Regularised Evolution achieved M-factor values of 0.84 and 0.82, respectively, while Multi-trial Random Search attained 0.75, and TPE reached 0.67. Policy-Based Reinforcement Learning exhibited performance changes after 39 trials, while Regularised Evolution optimised within 20 trials. The research investigates the optimisation dynamics and trade-offs between accuracy and model size for each strategy. Findings indicate that, in some cases, random search performed comparably to more complex algorithms when assessed using the M-factor. These results highlight how the M-factor addresses the limitations of existing metrics by guiding NAS towards balanced architectures, offering valuable insights for selecting strategies in scenarios requiring both performance and efficiency.
title The M-factor: A Novel Metric for Evaluating Neural Architecture Search in Resource-Constrained Environments
topic Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.17361