Bayesian Simulation Optimization with Common Random Numbers

We consider the problem of stochastic simulation optimization with common random numbers over a numerical search domain. We propose the Knowledge Gradient for Common Random Numbers (KG-CRN) sequential sampling algorithm, a simple elegant modification to the Knowledge Gradient that incorporates the use of correlated noise in simulation outputs with Gaussian Process meta-models. We compare this method against the standard Knowledge Gradient and a more recently proposed variation that allows for pairwise sampling. Our method significantly outperforms both baselines under identical laboratory conditions while greatly reducing computational cost compared to pairwise sampling.