# A Carbon Tracking Model for Federated Learning: Impact of Quantization and Sparsification

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.08087 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.08087/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 12 of its 25 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 12 Oct 2023.

## Builds on (most cited first, 12 of 12)

- [Very Deep Convolutional Networks for Large-Scale Image Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1409.1556/) (2014)
- [Advances and Open Problems in Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1912.04977/) (2019)
- [Quantifying the Carbon Emissions of Machine Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1910.09700/) (2019)
- [Towards the Systematic Reporting of the Energy and Carbon Footprints of Machine Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2002.05651/) (2020)
- [Decentralized Stochastic Optimization and Gossip Algorithms with Compressed Communication](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1902.00340/) (2019)
- [Energy Efficient Federated Learning Over Wireless Communication Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1911.02417/) (2019)
- [Carbontracker: Tracking and Predicting the Carbon Footprint of Training Deep Learning Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.03051/) (2020)
- [Understanding Top-k Sparsification in Distributed Deep Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1911.08772/) (2019)
- [Decentralized Federated Learning: Balancing Communication and Computing Costs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.12048/) (2021)
- [Can Federated Learning Save The Planet?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.06537/) (2020)
- [Opportunities of Federated Learning in Connected, Cooperative and Automated Industrial Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2101.03367/) (2021)
- [An Energy and Carbon Footprint Analysis of Distributed and Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2206.10380/) (2022)

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [Towards Heterogeneity-Aware and Energy-Efficient Topology Optimization for Decentralized Federated Learning in Edge Environment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.08278/) (2025)
- [Compressed Bayesian Federated Learning for Reliable Passive Radio Sensing in Industrial IoT](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.05855/) (2024)
- [Standardized Methods and Recommendations for Green Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.00343/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Federated Learning (FL) methods adopt efficient communication technologies to distribute machine learning tasks across edge devices, reducing the overhead in terms of data storage and computational complexity compared to centralized solutions. Rather than moving large data volumes from producers (sensors, machines) to energy-hungry data centers, raising environmental concerns due to resource demands, FL provides an alternative solution to mitigate the energy demands of several learning tasks while enabling new Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) applications. This paper proposes a framework for real-time monitoring of the energy and carbon footprint impacts of FL systems. The carbon tracking tool is evaluated for consensus (fully decentralized) and classical FL policies. For the first time, we present a quantitative evaluation of different computationally and communication efficient FL methods from the perspectives of energy consumption and carbon equivalent emissions, suggesting also general guidelines for energy-efficient design. Results indicate that consensus-driven FL implementations should be preferred for limiting carbon emissions when the energy efficiency of the communication is low (i.e., < 25 Kbit/Joule). Besides, quantization and sparsification operations are shown to strike a balance between learning performances and energy consumption, leading to sustainable FL designs.