# Decentralized Directed Collaboration for Personalized Federated Learning

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.17876 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.17876/

## Key facts

- Cited by 9 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 50 of its 73 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 28 May 2024.

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 50)

- [Deep Residual Learning for Image Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1512.03385/) (2015)
- [Communication-Efficient Learning of Deep Networks from Decentralized Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1602.05629/) (2016)
- [Group Normalization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1803.08494/) (2018)
- [Tackling the Objective Inconsistency Problem in Heterogeneous Federated Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.07481/) (2020)
- [Ensemble Distillation for Robust Model Fusion in Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.07242/) (2020)
- [Ditto: Fair and Robust Federated Learning Through Personalization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2012.04221/) (2020)
- [Federated Learning with Personalization Layers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1912.00818/) (2019)
- [Exploiting Shared Representations for Personalized Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.07078/) (2021)
- [An Efficient Framework for Clustered Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.04088/) (2020)
- [Clustered Federated Learning: Model-Agnostic Distributed Multi-Task Optimization under Privacy Constraints](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1910.01991/) (2019)
- [Can Decentralized Algorithms Outperform Centralized Algorithms? A Case Study for Decentralized Parallel Stochastic Gradient Descent](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1705.09056/) (2017)
- [Towards Personalized Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.00710/) (2021)
- [FedMD: Heterogenous Federated Learning via Model Distillation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1910.03581/) (2019)
- [Adaptive Personalized Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2003.13461/) (2020)
- [HeteroFL: Computation and Communication Efficient Federated Learning for Heterogeneous Clients](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.01264/) (2020)
- [The Non-IID Data Quagmire of Decentralized Machine Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1910.00189/) (2019)
- [Personalized Cross-Silo Federated Learning on Non-IID Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.03797/) (2020)
- [Personalized Federated Learning with First Order Model Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2012.08565/) (2020)
- [FedBABU: Towards Enhanced Representation for Federated Image Classification](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.06042/) (2021)
- [On the Linear Speedup Analysis of Communication Efficient Momentum SGD for Distributed Non-Convex Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1905.03817/) (2019)
- [Heterogeneous Federated Learning: State-of-the-art and Research Challenges](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.10616/) (2023)
- [Stochastic Gradient Push for Distributed Deep Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1811.10792/) (2018)
- [Achieving Geometric Convergence for Distributed Optimization over Time-Varying Graphs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1607.03218/) (2016)
- [Decentralized Federated Learning: Fundamentals, State of the Art, Frameworks, Trends, and Challenges](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.08413/) (2022)
- [Decentralized Federated Averaging](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2104.11375/) (2021)
- [Federated Learning with Partial Model Personalization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.03809/) (2022)
- [Personalized Federated Learning with Feature Alignment and Classifier Collaboration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.11867/) (2023)
- [Distributed optimization over time-varying directed graphs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1303.2289/) (2013)
- [DisPFL: Towards Communication-Efficient Personalized Federated Learning via Decentralized Sparse Training](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2206.00187/) (2022)
- [Quasi-Global Momentum: Accelerating Decentralized Deep Learning on Heterogeneous Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.04761/) (2021)

## Built on by (most cited first, 9 of 9)

- [DRACO: Decentralized Asynchronous Federated Learning over Row-Stochastic Wireless Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.13533/) (2024)
- [PFedDST: Personalized Federated Learning with Decentralized Selection Training](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.07750/) (2025)
- [Dataset Distillation-based Hybrid Federated Learning on Non-IID Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.17517/) (2024)
- [FedReMa: Improving Personalized Federated Learning via Leveraging the Most Relevant Clients](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.01825/) (2024)
- [Unveiling the Power of Multiple Gossip Steps: A Stability-Based Generalization Analysis in Decentralized Training](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.07980/) (2025)
- [Harmonizing Generalization and Personalization in Ring-topology Decentralized Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.19103/) (2025)
- [Stability and Generalization of Push-Sum Based Decentralized Optimization over Directed Graphs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.20567/) (2026)
- [Robust Decentralized Personalized Federated Learning via Prediction-Constrained Neighborhood Collaboration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.07312/) (2026)
- [SAGE: Optimal-Stopping Peer Selection for Decentralised Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.23773/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Personalized Federated Learning (PFL) is proposed to find the greatest personalized models for each client. To avoid the central failure and communication bottleneck in the server-based FL, we concentrate on the Decentralized Personalized Federated Learning (DPFL) that performs distributed model training in a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) manner. Most personalized works in DPFL are based on undirected and symmetric topologies, however, the data, computation and communication resources heterogeneity result in large variances in the personalized models, which lead the undirected aggregation to suboptimal personalized performance and unguaranteed convergence. To address these issues, we propose a directed collaboration DPFL framework by incorporating stochastic gradient push and partial model personalized, called Decentralized Federated Partial Gradient Push (DFedPGP). It personalizes the linear classifier in the modern deep model to customize the local solution and learns a consensus representation in a fully decentralized manner. Clients only share gradients with a subset of neighbors based on the directed and asymmetric topologies, which guarantees flexible choices for resource efficiency and better convergence. Theoretically, we show that the proposed DFedPGP achieves a superior convergence rate of O(frac1√T) in the general non-convex setting, and prove the tighter connectivity among clients will speed up the convergence. The proposed method achieves state-of-the-art (SOTA) accuracy in both data and computation heterogeneity scenarios, demonstrating the efficiency of the directed collaboration and partial gradient push.