China’s MIIT Pushes Open-Source Base and Vertical AI Models for Smart Manufacturing

The signal here is less the technology than the policy instrument: a central ministry naming open-source foundation models and vertical industry models as the priority layer for smart manufacturing, rather than leaving model development to the private market. That matters for anyone building industrial AI in China, since ministry direction typically shapes procurement, standards and where state-backed compute and data access flow. The open question is whether "vertical industry models" end up meaning sector-specific systems built on shared open bases, or fragmented efforts that duplicate each other.