TS-RAG: Retrieval-Augmented Generation based Time Series Foundation Models are Stronger Zero-Shot Forecaster

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Ning, Kanghui, Pan, Zijie, Liu, Yu, Jiang, Yushan, Zhang, James Yiming, Rasul, Kashif, Schneider, Anderson, Ma, Lintao, Nevmyvaka, Yuriy, Song, Dongjin
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Ning, Kanghui
Pan, Zijie
Liu, Yu
Jiang, Yushan
Zhang, James Yiming
Rasul, Kashif
Schneider, Anderson
Ma, Lintao
Nevmyvaka, Yuriy
Song, Dongjin
author_facet Ning, Kanghui
Pan, Zijie
Liu, Yu
Jiang, Yushan
Zhang, James Yiming
Rasul, Kashif
Schneider, Anderson
Ma, Lintao
Nevmyvaka, Yuriy
Song, Dongjin
contents Large Language Models (LLMs) and Foundation Models (FMs) have recently become prevalent for time series forecasting tasks. While fine-tuning LLMs enables domain adaptation, they often struggle to generalize across diverse and unseen datasets. Moreover, existing Time Series Foundation Models (TSFMs) still face challenges in handling non-stationary dynamics and distribution shifts, largely due to the lack of effective mechanisms for adaptation. To this end, we present TS-RAG, a retrieval-augmented generation framework for time series forecasting that enhances the generalization and interpretability of TSFMs. Specifically, TS-RAG leverages pre-trained time series encoders to retrieve semantically relevant segments from a dedicated knowledge base, enriching the contextual representation of the input query. Furthermore, we propose an Adaptive Retrieval Mixer (ARM) module that dynamically fuses the retrieved patterns with the TSFM's internal representation, improving forecasting accuracy without requiring task-specific fine-tuning. Thorough empirical studies on seven public benchmark datasets demonstrate that TS-RAG achieves state-of-the-art zero-shot forecasting performance, outperforming the existing TSFMs by up to 6.84% across diverse domains while also providing desirable interpretability. Our code and data are available at: https://github.com/UConn-DSIS/TS-RAG
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_07649
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle TS-RAG: Retrieval-Augmented Generation based Time Series Foundation Models are Stronger Zero-Shot Forecaster
Ning, Kanghui
Pan, Zijie
Liu, Yu
Jiang, Yushan
Zhang, James Yiming
Rasul, Kashif
Schneider, Anderson
Ma, Lintao
Nevmyvaka, Yuriy
Song, Dongjin
Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
Large Language Models (LLMs) and Foundation Models (FMs) have recently become prevalent for time series forecasting tasks. While fine-tuning LLMs enables domain adaptation, they often struggle to generalize across diverse and unseen datasets. Moreover, existing Time Series Foundation Models (TSFMs) still face challenges in handling non-stationary dynamics and distribution shifts, largely due to the lack of effective mechanisms for adaptation. To this end, we present TS-RAG, a retrieval-augmented generation framework for time series forecasting that enhances the generalization and interpretability of TSFMs. Specifically, TS-RAG leverages pre-trained time series encoders to retrieve semantically relevant segments from a dedicated knowledge base, enriching the contextual representation of the input query. Furthermore, we propose an Adaptive Retrieval Mixer (ARM) module that dynamically fuses the retrieved patterns with the TSFM's internal representation, improving forecasting accuracy without requiring task-specific fine-tuning. Thorough empirical studies on seven public benchmark datasets demonstrate that TS-RAG achieves state-of-the-art zero-shot forecasting performance, outperforming the existing TSFMs by up to 6.84% across diverse domains while also providing desirable interpretability. Our code and data are available at: https://github.com/UConn-DSIS/TS-RAG
title TS-RAG: Retrieval-Augmented Generation based Time Series Foundation Models are Stronger Zero-Shot Forecaster
topic Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.07649