TransNAS-TSAD: harnessing transformers for multi-objective neural architecture search in time series anomaly detection

The surge in real-time data collection across various industries has underscored the need for advanced anomaly detection in both univariate and multivariate time series data. This paper introduces TransNAS-TSAD, a framework that synergizes the transformer architecture with neural architecture search (NAS), enhanced through NSGA-II algorithm optimization. This approach effectively tackles the complexities of time series data, balancing computational efficiency with detection accuracy. Our evaluation reveals that TransNAS-TSAD surpasses conventional anomaly detection models due to its tailored architectural adaptability and the efficient exploration of complex search spaces, leading to marked improvements in diverse data scenarios. We also introduce the Efficiency-accuracy-complexity score (EACS) as a composite metric that balances accuracy, computational efficiency, and model complexity, providing a comprehensive assessment of model performance. TransNAS-TSAD sets a new benchmark in time series anomaly detection, offering a versatile, efficient solution for complex real-world applications. This research highlights TransNAS-TSAD’s potential across a wide range of industry applications and paves the way for future developments in the field.