# Hyper-Parameter Optimization: A Review of Algorithms and Applications

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.05689 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2003.05689/

## Key facts

- Cited by 114 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 12 Mar 2020.

## Built on by (most cited first, 30 of 114)

- [PandaLM: An Automatic Evaluation Benchmark for LLM Instruction Tuning Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.05087/) (2023)
- [Which Agent Causes Task Failures and When? On Automated Failure Attribution of LLM Multi-Agent Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.00212/) (2025)
- [Efficient Deep Learning: A Survey on Making Deep Learning Models Smaller, Faster, and Better](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.08962/) (2021)
- [Hyperparameter Optimization: Foundations, Algorithms, Best Practices and Open Challenges](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.05847/) (2021)
- [Neural Architecture Search: Insights from 1000 Papers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.08727/) (2023)
- [Large Language Model Agent for Hyper-Parameter Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.01881/) (2024)
- [A Survey on Green Deep Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.05193/) (2021)
- [Lower Bounds and Accelerated Algorithms for Bilevel Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.03926/) (2021)
- [A Survey of Methods for Automated Algorithm Configuration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2202.01651/) (2022)
- [Active Surrogate Estimators: An Active Learning Approach to Label-Efficient Model Evaluation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2202.06881/) (2022)
- [AUTOMATA: Gradient Based Data Subset Selection for Compute-Efficient Hyper-parameter Tuning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.08212/) (2022)
- [GraphLoRA: Structure-Aware Contrastive Low-Rank Adaptation for Cross-Graph Transfer Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.16670/) (2024)
- [Hyper-parameter tuning of physics-informed neural networks: Application to Helmholtz problems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.06704/) (2022)
- [Open Source Vizier: Distributed Infrastructure and API for Reliable and Flexible Blackbox Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.13676/) (2022)
- [Evolving Scientific Discovery by Unifying Data and Background Knowledge with AI Hilbert](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.09474/) (2023)
- [Automated Deep Learning: Neural Architecture Search Is Not the End](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.09245/) (2021)
- [Toward Open-World Electroencephalogram Decoding Via Deep Learning: A Comprehensive Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.06654/) (2021)
- [Training with Confidence: Catching Silent Errors in Deep Learning Training with Automated Proactive Checks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.14813/) (2025)
- [Towards Automated Imbalanced Learning with Deep Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.12433/) (2022)
- [Scalable Training of Trustworthy and Energy-Efficient Predictive Graph Foundation Models for Atomistic Materials Modeling: A Case Study with HydraGNN](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.12909/) (2024)
- [The Power of Training: How Different Neural Network Setups Influence the Energy Demand](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.01851/) (2024)
- [Neural Combinatorial Optimization: a New Player in the Field](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.01356/) (2022)
- [Learning Optimal Solutions via an LSTM-Optimization Framework](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.02937/) (2022)
- [Is One Epoch All You Need For Multi-Fidelity Hyperparameter Optimization?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.15422/) (2023)
- [Stay Tuned: An Empirical Study of the Impact of Hyperparameters on LLM Tuning in Real-World Applications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.18990/) (2024)
- [Improving LLM-based Global Optimization with Search Space Partitioning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.21372/) (2025)
- [Do Not Train It: A Linear Neural Architecture Search of Graph Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.14065/) (2023)
- [Rethinking cluster-conditioned diffusion models for label-free image synthesis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.00570/) (2024)
- [The Unreasonable Effectiveness Of Early Discarding After One Epoch In Neural Network Hyperparameter Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.04111/) (2024)
- [Improving Hyperparameter Optimization with Checkpointed Model Weights](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.18630/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Since deep neural networks were developed, they have made huge contributions to everyday lives. Machine learning provides more rational advice than humans are capable of in almost every aspect of daily life. However, despite this achievement, the design and training of neural networks are still challenging and unpredictable procedures. To lower the technical thresholds for common users, automated hyper-parameter optimization (HPO) has become a popular topic in both academic and industrial areas. This paper provides a review of the most essential topics on HPO. The first section introduces the key hyper-parameters related to model training and structure, and discusses their importance and methods to define the value range. Then, the research focuses on major optimization algorithms and their applicability, covering their efficiency and accuracy especially for deep learning networks. This study next reviews major services and toolkits for HPO, comparing their support for state-of-the-art searching algorithms, feasibility with major deep learning frameworks, and extensibility for new modules designed by users. The paper concludes with problems that exist when HPO is applied to deep learning, a comparison between optimization algorithms, and prominent approaches for model evaluation with limited computational resources.
