Brains Without Brawn: Evaluating CPU Performance for Code Generation with Large Language Models

Abstract

This research presents a comparative analysis of the performance of various Large Language Models (LLMs) for code generation tasks executed on Central Processing Units (CPUs) without the use of dedicated Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). The study evaluates key metrics including inference time, code generation accuracy, CPU and memory usage, and energy consumption. By conducting repeated experiments, we assess the impact of model size and optimization on efficiency in environments lacking GPU resources. Energy consumption is measured using tools like CodeCarbon, focusing on the environmental impact of running these models on CPU-based systems. The findings offer insights into the trade-offs between model precision, resource usage, and energy efficiency, providing valuable guidance for developers and researchers aiming to balance performance and sustainability in low-resource computing environments.