Industrial Foundation Models Empowering the Textile Industry: Pathways, Challenges, and Future

Against the backdrop of a new wave of scientific and technological industrial transformation, the deep integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and the industrial internet has become a core driving force for high-quality development of the manufacturing industry. As a key pillar of the national economy, the textile industry is undergoing a critical transition from traditional manufacturing to intelligent manufacturing. Based on the discussions at the YOCSEF Hangzhou Forum themed on “Industrial Foundation Models Empowering the Textile Industry”. This article systematically analyzes the current application status, implementation scenarios, challenges, and ecosystem construction paths of industrial foundation models within the textile sector. The study finds that industrial foundation models, through in-depth learning of weaving processes, equipment parameters, and production knowledge, can enable intelligent decision-making and collaborative optimization in fields such as design innovation, quality control, supply chain management, and market services—significantly enhancing industrial efficiency and competitiveness. However, their large-scale adoption remains constrained by factors such as non-standardized data, insufficient technological adaptability, shortages of interdisciplinary talents, and high implementation costs. Therefore, this article proposes an application framework centered on “data governance standardization, talent system integration, technology lightweighting, and cost stratification”, and further explores ecosystem construction paths including multi-stakeholder collaboration among industry, government, academia, and research institution, the development of open-source common models, and the improvement of industrial standards. The study concludes that the application of industrial foundation models in the textile industry represents not only a technological transformation but also a manifestation of industrial collaboration and ecological symbiosis. In the future, as computing infrastructure and data governance systems continue to improvement, industrial foundation models will become a key engine driving the digital, intelligent, and green transformation of the textile industry.