# FederatedFactory: Generative One-Shot Learning for Extremely Non-IID Distributed Scenarios

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.16370 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.16370/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 37 of its 51 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 17 Mar 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 37)

- [Deep Residual Learning for Image Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1512.03385/) (2015)
- [Learning Transferable Visual Models From Natural Language Supervision](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.00020/) (2021)
- [Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.11239/) (2020)
- [DINOv2: Learning Robust Visual Features without Supervision](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.07193/) (2023)
- [Communication-Efficient Learning of Deep Networks from Decentralized Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1602.05629/) (2016)
- [Rethinking the Inception Architecture for Computer Vision](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1512.00567/) (2015)
- [SGDR: Stochastic Gradient Descent with Warm Restarts](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1608.03983/) (2016)
- [Advances and Open Problems in Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1912.04977/) (2019)
- [Elucidating the Design Space of Diffusion-Based Generative Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2206.00364/) (2022)
- [Federated Optimization in Heterogeneous Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1812.06127/) (2018)
- [ImageNet-trained CNNs are biased towards texture; increasing shape bias improves accuracy and robustness](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1811.12231/) (2018)
- [Demystifying MMD GANs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1801.01401/) (2018)
- [Gradient Surgery for Multi-Task Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2001.06782/) (2020)
- [Federated Learning with Non-IID Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1806.00582/) (2018)
- [Machine Unlearning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1912.03817/) (2019)
- [Measuring the Effects of Non-Identical Data Distribution for Federated Visual Classification](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1909.06335/) (2019)
- [Extracting Training Data from Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.13188/) (2023)
- [MedMNIST v2 -- A large-scale lightweight benchmark for 2D and 3D biomedical image classification](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.14795/) (2021)
- [The Future of Digital Health with Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2003.08119/) (2020)
- [Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Net: Selective Forgetting in Deep Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1911.04933/) (2019)
- [Federated Learning Based on Dynamic Regularization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.04263/) (2021)
- [Analyzing and Improving the Training Dynamics of Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.02696/) (2023)
- [Hyperspherical Variational Auto-Encoders](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1804.00891/) (2018)
- [On the Challenges and Perspectives of Foundation Models for Medical Image Analysis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.05705/) (2023)
- [One-Shot Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1902.11175/) (2019)
- [FLamby: Datasets and Benchmarks for Cross-Silo Federated Learning in Realistic Healthcare Settings](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.04620/) (2022)
- [Why Diffusion Models Don't Memorize: The Role of Implicit Dynamical Regularization in Training](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.17638/) (2025)
- [Practical One-Shot Federated Learning for Cross-Silo Setting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.01017/) (2020)
- [Are Natural Domain Foundation Models Useful for Medical Image Classification?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.19522/) (2023)
- [AI-Generated Video Detection via Perceptual Straightening](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.00583/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Federated Learning (FL) enables distributed optimization without compromising data sovereignty. Yet, where local label distributions are mutually exclusive, standard weight aggregation fails due to conflicting optimization trajectories. Often, FL methods rely on pretrained foundation models, introducing unrealistic assumptions. We introduce FederatedFactory, a zero-dependency framework that inverts the unit of federation from discriminative parameters to generative priors. By exchanging generative modules in a single communication round, our architecture supports ex nihilo synthesis of universally class balanced datasets, eliminating gradient conflict and external prior bias entirely. Evaluations across diverse medical imagery benchmarks, including MedMNIST and ISIC2019, demonstrate that our approach recovers centralized upper-bound performance. Under pathological heterogeneity, it lifts baseline accuracy from a collapsed 11.36% to 90.57% on CIFAR-10 and restores ISIC2019 AUROC to 90.57%. Additionally, this framework facilitates exact modular unlearning through the deterministic deletion of specific generative modules.
