Summary of Huawei Ireland Research Center Tech Arena 2024 Competition
Background
I’m Nansen, and I participated in the 2024 Huawei Ireland Research Center Server Cluster Management Optimization Competition. Here, I’d like to share my experience in this competition and summarize some key takeaways.
Our algorithm code can be found here: huawei2024
Competition Results
We achieved first place in the algorithm section, scoring approximately 4%-5% higher than the second to fourth places, giving us a significant advantage. However, we faced considerable challenges in the presentation segment. First, we recognized that there is room for improvement in our English fluency. Second, we found that our presentation slides could be more polished and visually appealing. Lastly, we encountered some challenges with time management. Nevertheless, despite these obstacles, we still managed to secure third place overall.
Competition Process
The competition was divided into two stages. The first stage allowed ample preparation time. Once we settled on using the simulated annealing algorithm, we began developing it. The main difficulty in this stage was optimizing and understanding the requirements of the task. During development, we encountered numerous bugs, but after fixing them, our score improved significantly.
In the second stage, as the problem was released on the day of the competition, I continued optimizing the algorithm from the first stage, successfully increasing the evaluation speed by 1000 times. This significantly boosted our performance in the second stage, providing us with enough strength to vie for first place.
In the final round, our algorithm performed very consistently, and after some adjustments, we took a considerable lead over our competitors. However, because we didn’t put enough emphasis on making an effective presentation, we mistakenly believed that high algorithm performance alone would guarantee a top score, which proved to be wrong.
Lessons Learned
Algorithm Choice
Fortunately, I chose the right algorithm from the outset, and shortly after the problem was released, I devised a framework that suited the entire competition. However, I did take some wrong turns, such as attempting impractical algorithms like PPO. After initial trials failed, I should have moved on instead of wasting further effort. Given the limited time, we should focus on achievable optimal results within the shortest period rather than pursuing ideal but unrealistic solutions. It’s also crucial to recognize one’s limitations and concentrate on goals that are achievable in the available time.
Team Collaboration
Luckily, our team division was reasonable this time, and I did my best to ensure every member could contribute their value. One area for improvement is communicating more with team members to understand their ideas and preferences. Since I mainly handled the algorithm part, I had relatively little interaction with teammates, which I will work to improve next time.
Presentation Design
We didn’t anticipate that the level of presentation skills from other teams would be so high. My teammates speculated that some competitors might have a business background, giving them an advantage in crafting presentations. Moreover, they had five members in their team while we only had three, which put us at a disadvantage regarding manpower. These were objective challenges, but if we had paid more attention to creating our presentation, the first prize could have been within our reach.
Over-committing Leading to Imbalance
In the final round, our algorithm was already quite excellent, and our score surpassed the previously top-ranked team. However, I continued spending considerable time on further optimizations. Even though we were significantly ahead, this focus caused us to neglect the preparation of our presentation. In hindsight, I should have known when to stop and fully recognized the importance of balancing different aspects of the scoring criteria.
Conclusion
Participating in the Huawei Tech Arena 2024 competition provided me with invaluable experience. The competition highlighted our strengths, but also revealed areas where we need to improve in terms of showcasing skills and team collaboration. Looking ahead, I will keep these lessons in mind and strive to continuously improve myself in future competitions. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section.