The “Simulation Challenge” (previously named the “Case Study Competition”) in Winter Simulation Conference (WSC) was initially launched in 2022, with the aim to delve into the significance of simulation and pave the way for increased collaboration between academia and industry. Through this initiative, we target to foster an environment of interdisciplinary cooperation that encourages innovation and fosters the creation of cutting-edge solutions to real-world problems.
With the theme “Simulation for Resilient Systems”, the Simulation Challenge in WSC2023 will continue to encourage participants to explore the latest advances in simulation technology and their application to next-generation industrial systems. Participants will be required to present case studies that demonstrate the use of simulation to design, optimize, and evaluate systems that are resilient, sustainable, and adaptable to changing circumstances. The competition will provide a unique opportunity to engage with leading experts in the field, gain recognition for their work, and potentially win prizes.
As we all know, the global semiconductor chip supply is facing severe challenges this year. For a society that is highly dependent on electronic equipment, the technological innovation of the chip industry and the reconstruction of the manufacturing system may deeply affect the digital lifestyle we are familiar with. As researchers and developers in the field of simulation, we eagerly hope to use simulation modeling and analysis tools to solve bottleneck problems in chip manufacturing and improve the efficiency and resilience of the systems. Therefore, we sincerely invited Micron Semiconductor (Asia) as a co-organizer and sponsor of this competition, and one issue of their concerns will be chosen to be the topic of the Simulation Challenge 2023. We strongly encourage all who are interested in simulation to join us and try your hand at the Simulation Challenge!
This competition will be co-organized by the ISEM Department of National University of Singapore, and Engineering at the University of Exeter. More information will be announced later. Stay tuned and keep a lookout on this page for more updates!
For any inquiries, please feel free to drop our Simulation Challenge Chair, Dr. Li Haobin and Co-Chair, Dr. Martino Luis.
Problem Description
Using the typical problem in the fabrication process as the case study for this competition, the organizers will build a basic simulation system model with discrete-event modeling methods and implement it in an open-source DES framework (O2DES.NET or o2despy). The organizers will also provide clear documentation to describe the model structure according to the rigorously defined modeling formalism.
The organizers will specify the data and source code according to the following three aspects of information:
- Variable scenario parameters, based on which the system shall operate, such as real-time demand and resource availability, etc.
- The key decisions and default rules involved in the operation of the system, such as production scheduling, task assignment, etc.
- Performance indicators to measure the efficiency and quality of the system operations.
Participants are required to:
- Rewrite and replace (B) in order to maximize the performance. indicators in (C) given various scenarios in (A).
- Generate logic rules in (B) through various ways, including but not limited to:
-Write rule-based scripts or heuristic algorithms embedded in decision events
-Embed simulation model into external optimization search algorithm
-Use the machine learning model to identify and conclude the best rule parameters and embed them in decision events - Provide only (B) of the program code in a dedicated folder. All other source code other than (B) will not be evaluated.
Assessment
- Once all participants have submitted their program code and data in (B), the organizers will embed them in the discrete-event simulation model prepared in advance, overwrite the corresponding original code, and compile and generate an executable simulation program.
- The pre-specified undisclosed scenarios as in (A) and random seeds will serve as the input. After which, the organizers will run the simulation program of each participant and generate the output of performance index values as in (C).
Evaluation
- This competition is split into 4 rounds. As we progress through the competition, the weightage assigned to each round increases in proportion to the scenario’s difficulty.
- The first three rounds are split over the course of three months (August-October). For each of these rounds, a new scenario is released at the beginning of every month (see schedule). Participants can submit their work for each round at any point of time before the 23rd of each month. Resubmissions are allowed only before the deadline of each round. Throughout this period, there will be a leaderboard which ranks the performance of the submissions we receive. This ranking will be regularly updated as the submissions come in, after which the final ranking for the round will be released at the end of the month.
- Unlike previous rounds, the scenario for the final round will not be released. Should they choose to, participants can submit either an updated version of their work for this round, or they can simply re-submit their previous works. Participants have up till November 23 to submit their final work for the fourth round. The leaderboard will not be public for this round.
- The participants’ performance in every round will contribute towards their overall results. Results will be announced on November 30, of which, the Top 5 finalists will be informed to prepare a report presentation for WSC2023.
Timeline
The competition officially starts on August 1 with the start of Round 1.
Round 1
Start Date: August 1
- Registration opens
- Case study is announced
- First Scenario is released
- Submissions for Round 1 open
End Date: August 23
Submissions close for the Round 1.
Evaluation Period: August 24-30
Rankings Announcement: August 31
Round 2
Start Date: September 1
- New Scenario is released
- Submissions for Round 2 open
End Date: September 23
Submissions close for the Round 2.
Evaluation Period: September 24-29
Rankings Announcement: September 30
Round 3
Start Date: October 1
- New Scenario is released
- Submissions for Round 3 open
End Date: October 23
Submissions close for the Round 3.
Evaluation Period: October 24-30
Rankings Announcement: October 31
Hidden Round
Start Date: November 1
- Submissions for Hidden Round open
- No new scenario will be released
- Participants can either:
- submit an updated version of their work OR
- re-submit their previous works
End Date: November 23
Submissions close for the Hidden Round.
Evaluation Period: November 24-29
Rankings Announcement: November 30
Top 5 teams announced.
Rules & Registration
Eligibility
To be eligible to enter the competition, all participants must:
- Register for the competition with a valid and active email address which the organizer can use to communicate with the participants.
- Either be a single entrant or part of a team of up to a maximum of five (5) members only. Each participant can only join up to one team.
- Be solely responsible for creating the competition submission. Supervision or advice from the participants’ professors or post-doctoral researchers is permissible.
The competition is open to all except for members of the committee, including all staff members. However, the committee reserves the right to approve or disapprove participation according to its own considerations.
Prizes
Prize amounts TBD.
Contact
For any enquiries, please feel free to drop our Case Competition Chair, Dr. Li Haobin, an email at li_haobin@nus.edu.sg and Co-Chair, Dr. Martino Luis, M.Luis@exeter.ac.uk