Comprehensive Comparison of Lightweight Encryption Algorithms for Energy-Efficient IoT Applications

The massive increase of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in energy-restricted settings demands lightweight encryption methods to protect data while maintaining efficient energy use. This study compares various lightweight encryption algorithms like AES, ChaCha20, Speck, Simon, Present, Artificial Hummingbird Algorithm (AHA), RC5, Grain-128AEAD, Trivium, TEA (Tiny Encryption Algorithm), XTEA (Extended Tiny Encryption Algorithm), Camellia and KATAN by evaluating their performance across power consumption, latency, throughput, memory usage and security strength. The study investigates the use of hardware acceleration, parallelization techniques and software-based enhancements as methods to improve algorithm processing capabilities within limited resource settings. The suitability of different algorithms for IoT applications including health monitoring systems and smart sensors is demonstrated through real-world use case analysis. The goal of this study is to provide developers with the guidance they need to choose encryption algorithms that ensure secure and energy-efficient operations in IoT systems.