Dynamic task offloading strategy in mobile edge computing using meta-reinforcement learning with adaptive learning rate adjustment

Ensuring optimal and timely task offloading in dynamic mobile edge computing (MEC) environments is critical yet challenging. Although meta-reinforcement learning (MRL) can achieve offloading objectives with limited samples, it fails to adapt effectively to fluctuations in task complexity or distinct learning stages. To overcome this rigidity, this paper proposes an adaptive learning rate meta-reinforcement learning (ALR-MRL) algorithm. First, to mitigate resource constraints on edge nodes, we incorporate cloud servers into the offloading architecture, thereby significantly enhancing system adaptability and computational capacity. Second, we develop a novel policy update mechanism combining Seq2Seq networks with adaptive learning rates. By converting task graphs into embedding sequences and dynamically adjusting learning rates based on gradient variance and bias, the algorithm achieves precise adaptation to varying task difficulties. Finally, we validate the proposed method through comprehensive simulations. The results show that ALR-MRL outperforms existing methods, reducing average latency by 30% relative to baselines and by 40% relative to fine-tuning deep reinforcement learning algorithms.