Carbon-Aware Multi-Objective Scheduling and Optimization in Geo-Distributed Cloud and Machine Learning Systems: A Sustainable Computing Paradigm
Published 2026-03-31
Keywords
- Carbon-aware computing,
- multi-objective scheduling,
- cloud computing,
- machine learning sustainability
How to Cite
Copyright (c) 2026 Maria Chokwuk

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
The rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and large-scale machine learning (ML) systems has significantly increased global computational demand, raising urgent concerns about energy consumption and carbon emissions. While recent advancements in model architectures and hardware acceleration have improved computational efficiency, the environmental footprint of these technologies remains substantial. This study investigates the integration of carbon-aware strategies into scheduling and optimization frameworks for geographically distributed cloud environments. Drawing upon contemporary research in carbon measurement, federated learning, workload migration, and evolutionary optimization, this work proposes a comprehensive theoretical model for multi-objective scheduling that simultaneously optimizes performance, cost, and carbon emissions. The study critically examines existing approaches such as carbon-aware federated learning, virtual machine placement, and checkpointing mechanisms, and contextualizes them within broader scheduling paradigms including heuristic, metaheuristic, and evolutionary algorithms. Furthermore, the research highlights the role of real-time carbon monitoring systems and geo-distributed infrastructure in enabling dynamic decision-making. The findings suggest that integrating carbon-awareness into scheduling algorithms can significantly reduce emissions without compromising computational performance. However, challenges such as data heterogeneity, system latency, and trade-off management persist. This paper contributes to the growing body of sustainable computing literature by offering an in-depth theoretical synthesis and proposing future research directions for scalable, environmentally responsible computing systems.
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