Automated Evolutionary Optimization for Resource-Efficient Neural Network Training

Abstract

There are many critical challenges in optimizing neural network models, including distributed computing, compression techniques, and efficient training, regardless of their application to specific tasks. Solving such problems is crucial because the need for scalable and resource-efficient models is increasing. To address these challenges, we have developed a new automated machine learning (AutoML) framework, Parameter Efficient Training with Robust Automation (PETRA). It applies evolutionary optimization to model architecture and training strategy. PETRA includes pruning, quantization, and loss regularization. Experimental studies on real-world data with financial event sequences, as well as image and time-series -- benchmarks, demonstrate PETRA's ability to improve neural model performance and scalability -- namely, a significant decrease in model size (up to 75%) and latency (up to 33%), and an increase in throughput (by 13%) without noticeable degradation in the target metric.