A Comparative Study of Metaheuristics on Raspberry Pi 5: Results to Guide Optimization on Constrained Edge Devices

Abstract

 This study investigates the efficiency of five metaheuristic algorithms, namely Differential Evolution (DE), Genetic Algorithm (GA), Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO), Harmony Search (HS), and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), when deployed on a Raspberry Pi 5 edge device. The evaluation focuses on both optimization quality and computational cost, using four standard benchmark functions that represent a range of landscape characteristics: Sphere, Rosenbrock, Rastrigin, and Ackley. Each function is tested at dimensions 10, 30, and 50 to probe scalability. In addition to objective values, the experiments collect per-iteration processor usage and memory (RAM) to provide a practical view of runtime overhead under constrained resources. Among the five candidates, GWO consistently delivers the fastest or near-fastest convergence while keeping variability tight. Its trajectories show smooth descent across functions and dimensions, paired with comparatively modest CPU and RAM footprints. PSO typically ranks second in speed with stable dynamics, though brief CPU spikes often appear at early iterations as swarms synchronize. DE demonstrates resilience on rugged functions but generally requires more iterations to close the final gap. GA and HS can reach competitive objective values on some settings, yet they display wider dispersion and higher overhead at larger dimensions, which reduces their suitability for small devices. Overall, the evidence indicates that GWO is the most efficient choice for edge deployment on Raspberry Pi 5, striking a favorable balance between convergence speed, stability, and resource usage. PSO is a strong alternative when slightly higher processor activity is acceptable. These findings support the adoption of lightweight, variance-stable metaheuristics for edge optimization workloads where CPU and memory budgets are tight.