Leveraging decentralized communication for privacy-preserving federated learning in 6G Networks
Rafael Bastos Teixeira, Gabriele Baldoni, Mário Antunes, Diogo Gomes, Rui L. Aguiar · Computer Communications · 2025
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a fundamental pillar in developing next-generation networks. Federated learning (FL) emerges as a promising solution to address data privacy concerns during AI model training within the network. However, training AI models on user equipment raises challenges regarding battery consumption, unreliable connections, and communication overhead. This paper proposes Zenoh, a data-centric communication middleware, as an alternative to the traditional Message Passing Interface (MPI) for FL applications. Zenoh’s decentralized nature and low communication overhead make it suitable for resource-constrained devices and unreliable network connections. The paper compares Zenoh and MPI in a realistic FL scenario, demonstrating Zenoh’s potential to outperform MPI in terms of flexibility, communication efficiency, and system complexity.