Energy
OneDSE: A Unified Microprocessor Metric Prediction and Design Space Exploration Framework
Raj, Ritik, Ramachandran, Akshat, Nye, Jeff, Nemawarkar, Shashank, Krishna, Tushar
With the slowing of Moores Law and increasing impact of power constraints, processor designs rely on architectural innovation to achieve differentiating performance. However, the innovation complexity has simultaneously increased the design space of modern high performance processors. Specifically, we identify two key challenges in prior Design Space Exploration (DSE) approaches for modern CPU design - (a) cost model (prediction method) is either slow or microarchitecture-specific or workload-specific and single model is inefficient to learn the whole design space (b) optimization (exploration method) is slow and inaccurate in the large CPU parameter space. This work presents a novel solution called OneDSE to address these emerging challenges in modern CPU design. OneDSE is a unified cost model (metric predictor) and optimizer (CPU parameter explorer) with three key techniques - 1. Transformer-based workload-Aware CPU Estimation (TrACE) framework to predict metrics in the parameter space (TrACE-p) and parameters in the in the metric space (TrACE-m). TrACE-p outperforms State of The Art (SOTA) IPC prediction methods by 5.71x and 28x for single and multiple workloads respectively while being two orders of magnitude faster. 2. We also propose a novel Metric spAce Search opTimizer (MAST) that leverages TrACE-m and outperforms SoTA metaheuristics by 1.19x while being an order of magnitude faster. 3. We propose Subsystem-based Multi-Agent Reinforcement-learning based fine-Tuning (SMART)-TrACE that achieves a 10.6% reduction in prediction error compared to TrACE, enabling more accurate and efficient exploration of the CPU design space.
Domain-Agnostic Scalable AI Safety Ensuring Framework
Kim, Beomjun, Kim, Kangyeon, Kim, Sunwoo, Shin, Yeonsang, Ahn, Heejin
AI safety has emerged as a critical priority as these systems are increasingly deployed in real-world applications. We propose the first domain-agnostic AI safety ensuring framework that achieves strong safety guarantees while preserving high performance, grounded in rigorous theoretical foundations. Our framework includes: (1) an optimization component with chance constraints, (2) a safety classification model, (3) internal test data, (4) conservative testing procedures, (5) informative dataset quality measures, and (6) continuous approximate loss functions with gradient computation. Furthermore, to our knowledge, we mathematically establish the first scaling law in AI safety research, relating data quantity to safety-performance trade-offs. Experiments across reinforcement learning, natural language generation, and production planning validate our framework and demonstrate superior performance. Notably, in reinforcement learning, we achieve 3 collisions during 10M actions, compared with 1,000-3,000 for PPO-Lag baselines at equivalent performance levels -- a safety level unattainable by previous AI methods. We believe our framework opens a new foundation for safe AI deployment across safety-critical domains.
MAD: A Magnitude And Direction Policy Parametrization for Stability Constrained Reinforcement Learning
Furieri, Luca, Shenoy, Sucheth, Saccani, Danilo, Martin, Andrea, Ferrari-Trecate, Giancarlo
We introduce magnitude and direction (MAD) policies, a policy parameterization for reinforcement learning (RL) that preserves Lp closed-loop stability for nonlinear dynamical systems. Despite their completeness in describing all stabilizing controllers, methods based on nonlinear Youla and system-level synthesis are significantly impacted by the difficulty of parametrizing Lp-stable operators. In contrast, MAD policies introduce explicit feedback on state-dependent features - a key element behind the success of reinforcement learning pipelines - without jeopardizing closed-loop stability. This is achieved by letting the magnitude of the control input be described by a disturbance-feedback Lp-stable operator, while selecting its direction based on state-dependent features through a universal function approximator. We further characterize the robust stability properties of MAD policies under model mismatch. Unlike existing disturbance-feedback policy parametrizations, MAD policies introduce state-feedback components compatible with model-free RL pipelines, ensuring closed-loop stability with no model information beyond assuming open-loop stability. Numerical experiments show that MAD policies trained with deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) methods generalize to unseen scenarios - matching the performance of standard neural network policies while guaranteeing closed-loop stability by design.
Learning Safe Strategies for Value Maximizing Buyers in Uniform Price Auctions
Golrezaei, Negin, Sahoo, Sourav
We study the bidding problem in repeated uniform price multi-unit auctions from the perspective of a value-maximizing buyer. The buyer aims to maximize their cumulative value over $T$ rounds while adhering to per-round return-on-investment (RoI) constraints in a strategic (or adversarial) environment. Using an $m$-uniform bidding format, the buyer submits $m$ bid-quantity pairs $(b_i, q_i)$ to demand $q_i$ units at bid $b_i$, with $m \ll M$ in practice, where $M$ denotes the maximum demand of the buyer. We introduce the notion of safe bidding strategies as those that satisfy the RoI constraints irrespective of competing bids. Despite the stringent requirement, we show that these strategies satisfy a mild no-overbidding condition, depend only on the valuation curve of the bidder, and the bidder can focus on a finite subset without loss of generality. Though the subset size is $O(M^m)$, we design a polynomial-time learning algorithm that achieves sublinear regret, both in full-information and bandit settings, relative to the hindsight-optimal safe strategy. We assess the robustness of safe strategies against the hindsight-optimal strategy from a richer class. We define the richness ratio $ฮฑ\in (0,1]$ as the minimum ratio of the value of the optimal safe strategy to that of the optimal strategy from richer class and construct hard instances showing the tightness of $ฮฑ$. Our algorithm achieves $ฮฑ$-approximate sublinear regret against these stronger benchmarks. Simulations on semi-synthetic auction data show that empirical richness ratios significantly outperform the theoretical worst-case bounds. The proposed safe strategies and learning algorithm extend naturally to more nuanced buyer and competitor models.
Benchmarking M-LTSF: Frequency and Noise-Based Evaluation of Multivariate Long Time Series Forecasting Models
Janรen, Nick, Schaller, Melanie, Rosenhahn, Bodo
Abstract--Understanding the robustness of deep learning models for multivariate long-term time series forecasting (ML TSF) remains challenging, as evaluations typically rely on real-world datasets with unknown noise properties. We propose a simulation-based evaluation framework that generates parameterizable synthetic datasets, where each dataset instance corresponds to a different configuration of signal components, noise types, signal-to-noise ratios, and frequency characteristics. These configurable components aim to model real-world multivariate time series data without the ambiguity of unknown noise. This framework enables fine-grained, systematic evaluation of M-L TSF models under controlled and diverse scenarios. Our analysis reveals that all models degrade severely when lookback windows cannot capture complete periods of seasonal patters in the data. S-Mamba and Autoformer perform best on sawtooth patterns, while R-Linear and iTransformer favor sinusoidal signals. White and Brownian noise universally degrade performance with lower signal-to-noise ratio while S-Mamba shows specific trend-noise and iTransformer shows seasonal-noise vulnerability. Further spectral analysis shows that S-Mamba and iTransformer achieve superior frequency reconstruction. This controlled approach, based on our synthetic and principle-driven testbed, offers deeper insights into model-specific strengths and limitations through the aggregation of MSE scores and provides concrete guidance for model selection based on signal characteristics and noise conditions. IME series forecasting plays a crucial role across diverse fields such as energy systems [1]-[3], meteorology [4], [5], traffic flow modeling [6], [7] or the modeling of sensor networks [8], [9]. Reliable forecasts support proactive decision-making, effective risk management, and efficient planning. As high-resolution temporal data becomes increasingly available, the need for robust and scalable forecasting models has grown more important than ever. A time series represents data points ordered in time and can be categorized as either univariate, when consisting of a single variable, or multivariate, when involving multiple interdependent variables [10].
Predictive economics: Rethinking economic methodology with machine learning
This article proposes predictive economics as a distinct analytical perspective within economics, grounded in machine learning and centred on predictive accuracy rather than causal identification. Drawing on the instrumentalist tradition (Friedman), the explanation-prediction divide (Shmueli), and the contrast between modelling cultures (Breiman), we formalise prediction as a valid epistemological and methodological objective. Reviewing recent applications across economic subfields, we show how predictive models contribute to empirical analysis, particularly in complex or data-rich contexts. This perspective complements existing approaches and supports a more pluralistic methodology - one that values out-of-sample performance alongside interpretability and theoretical structure. Keywords: Predictive economics, Machine learning, Forecasting, Causal inference, Economic methodology 1. Introduction The evolution of economics has long been shaped by advances in analytical tools.
Bio-Inspired Robotic Houbara: From Development to Field Deployment for Behavioral Studies
Saoud, Lyes Saad, Hussain, Irfan
Biomimetic intelligence and robotics are transforming field ecology by enabling lifelike robotic surrogates that interact naturally with animals under real world conditions. Studying avian behavior in the wild remains challenging due to the need for highly realistic morphology, durable outdoor operation, and intelligent perception that can adapt to uncontrolled environments. We present a next generation bio inspired robotic platform that replicates the morphology and visual appearance of the female Houbara bustard to support controlled ethological studies and conservation oriented field research. The system introduces a fully digitally replicable fabrication workflow that combines high resolution structured light 3D scanning, parametric CAD modelling, articulated 3D printing, and photorealistic UV textured vinyl finishing to achieve anatomically accurate and durable robotic surrogates. A six wheeled rocker bogie chassis ensures stable mobility on sand and irregular terrain, while an embedded NVIDIA Jetson module enables real time RGB and thermal perception, lightweight YOLO based detection, and an autonomous visual servoing loop that aligns the robot's head toward detected targets without human intervention. A lightweight thermal visible fusion module enhances perception in low light conditions. Field trials in desert aviaries demonstrated reliable real time operation at 15 to 22 FPS with latency under 100 ms and confirmed that the platform elicits natural recognition and interactive responses from live Houbara bustards under harsh outdoor conditions. This integrated framework advances biomimetic field robotics by uniting reproducible digital fabrication, embodied visual intelligence, and ecological validation, providing a transferable blueprint for animal robot interaction research, conservation robotics, and public engagement.
IMLP: An Energy-Efficient Continual Learning Method for Tabular Data Streams
Wang, Yuandou, Gunnarsson, Filip, Hai, Rihan
Tabular data streams are rapidly emerging as a dominant modality for real-time decision-making in healthcare, finance, and the Internet of Things (IoT). These applications commonly run on edge and mobile devices, where energy budgets, memory, and compute are strictly limited. Continual learning (CL) addresses such dynamics by training models sequentially on task streams while preserving prior knowledge and consolidating new knowledge. While recent CL work has advanced in mitigating catastrophic forgetting and improving knowledge transfer, the practical requirements of energy and memory efficiency for tabular data streams remain underexplored. In particular, existing CL solutions mostly depend on replay mechanisms whose buffers grow over time and exacerbate resource costs. We propose a context-aware incremental Multi-Layer Perceptron (IMLP), a compact continual learner for tabular data streams. IMLP incorporates a windowed scaled dot-product attention over a sliding latent feature buffer, enabling constant-size memory and avoiding storing raw data. The attended context is concatenated with current features and processed by shared feed-forward layers, yielding lightweight per-segment updates. To assess practical deployability, we introduce NetScore-T, a tunable metric coupling balanced accuracy with energy for Pareto-aware comparison across models and datasets. IMLP achieves up to $27.6\times$ higher energy efficiency than TabNet and $85.5\times$ higher than TabPFN, while maintaining competitive average accuracy. Overall, IMLP provides an easy-to-deploy, energy-efficient alternative to full retraining for tabular data streams.
Fairness in Repeated Matching: A Maximin Perspective
Lim, Eugene, Neoh, Tzeh Yuan, Teh, Nicholas
Traditional machine learning (ML) algorithms often focus on global objectives such as efficiency (e.g., maximizing accuracy or minimizing error rates in decision-making systems) or maximizing revenue/profit (e.g., maximizing click-through rates for recommendation systems), as they align closely with organizational goals and are more straightforward to quantify and optimize. However, modern approaches increasingly emphasize fairness as a key desideratum, as societal and regulatory demands push for more equitable and responsible ML systems. We consider a multi-agent sequential decision-making scenario where a set of resources must be allocated among agents repeatedly over time, with the objective of achieving fairness in the assignment process. This framework encompasses applications such as dynamic spectrum allocation in wireless networks and energy distribution in smart grids [Elhachmi, 2022, Jain et al., 2022, Rony et al., 2021, Soares et al., 2024]. In the case of spectrum allocation, communication channels must be repeatedly assigned to devices, with each device requiring exclusive access to one channel in each time slot. Persistent disparities in access can degrade system efficiency, reduce user satisfaction, and undermine trust. Similarly, in many other ML-driven resource allocation systems, disparities in the distribution of resources--such as GPUs in distributed computing--can lead to unfair outcomes that compromise the perceived and actual effectiveness of the system. Numerous other applications where decisions are made dynamically--such as assigning tasks to workers in crowdsourcing platforms [Moayedikia et al., 2020], or distributing compute resources in cloud systems [Belgacem, 2022, Gupta et al., 2017, Saraswathi et al., 2015]--call for central decision-makers to ensure that no agent is persistently disadvantaged, which is critical for both fairness and long-term trust in the system. The scenarios described above can be captured using the repeated matching framework--a multi-agent sequential decision-making model in which a set of goods is repeatedly matched to agents over time, and each agent is assigned exactly one good at each round.
Fine-Grained AI Model Caching and Downloading With Coordinated Multipoint Broadcasting in Multi-Cell Edge Networks
Fu, Yang, Qin, Peng, Zhang, Yueyue, Cheng, Pao, Lu, Jun, Wang, Yifei
6G networks are envisioned to support on-demand AI model downloading to accommodate diverse inference requirements of end users. By proactively caching models at edge nodes, users can retrieve the requested models with low latency for on-device AI inference. However, the substantial size of contemporary AI models poses significant challenges for edge caching under limited storage capacity, as well as for the concurrent delivery of heterogeneous models over wireless channels. To address these challenges, we propose a fine-grained AI model caching and downloading system that exploits parameter reusability, stemming from the common practice of fine-tuning task-specific models from a shared pre-trained model with frozen parameters. This system selectively caches model parameter blocks (PBs) at edge nodes, eliminating redundant storage of reusable parameters across different cached models. Additionally, it incorporates coordinated multipoint (CoMP) broadcasting to simultaneously deliver reusable PBs to multiple users, thereby enhancing downlink spectrum utilization. Under this arrangement, we formulate a model downloading delay minimization problem to jointly optimize PB caching, migration (among edge nodes), and broadcasting beamforming. To tackle this intractable problem, we develop a distributed multi-agent learning framework that enables edge nodes to explicitly learn mutual influence among their actions, thereby facilitating cooperation. Furthermore, a data augmentation approach is proposed to adaptively generate synthetic training samples through a predictive model, boosting sample efficiency and accelerating policy learning. Both theoretical analysis and simulation experiments validate the superior convergence performance of the proposed learning framework.