Optimization of cloud computing task scheduling based on whale optimization algorithm with quasi-opposition-based and nonlinear factor

Task scheduling has a significant impact on the resource availability and operation cost of the system in cloud computing. In order to improve the efficiency of task execution in the cloud for a given computational resource, the improved whale optimization algorithm is applied to the multi-objective optimization model for cloud task scheduling. Specifically, the quasi-opposition-based learning strategy is added in the initiation phase to increase the diversity of the population. Meanwhile, a novel nonlinear convergence factor was introduced to augment the local search capability. Experimental results indicate that the improved whale optimization algorithm converges faster and searches with higher precision in finding the optimal task scheduling solution compared to existing meta-heuristic algorithms. In addition, the modified algorithm achieves superior system resource usage when dealing with both small and large tasks.