Multi-Metric Algorithmic Complexity: Beyond Asymptotic Analysis

Abstract: Traditional algorithm analysis treats all basic operations as equally costly, which hides significant differences in time, energy consumption, and cost between different types of computations on modern processors. We propose a weighted-operation complexity model that assigns realistic cost values to different instruction types across multiple dimensions: computational effort, energy usage, carbon footprint, and monetary cost. The model computes overall efficiency scores based on user-defined priorities and can be applied through automated code analysis or integrated with performance measurement tools. This approach complements existing theoretical models by enabling practical, architecture-aware algorithm comparisons that account for performance, sustainability, and economic factors. We demonstrate an open-source implementation that analyzes code, estimates multi-dimensional costs, and provides efficiency recommendations across various algorithms. We address two research questions: (RQ1) Can a multi-metric model predict time/energy with high accuracy across architectures? (RQ2) How does it compare to baselines like Big-O, ICE, and EVM gas? Validation shows strong correlations (\r{ho}>0.9) with measured data, outperforming baselines in multi-objective scenarios.