How Large AI Model Empowers Time-Series Forecasting for the Operation and Maintenance of Industrial Automation System?

The advancement of large models has initiated a transformation in the field of time-series forecasting. Both the repurposing of existing large models and the development of large models tailored for time-series analysis have exhibited impressive performance. In industrial applications, challenges, such as limited data availability and constrained computational resources, render the first approach viable. However, it is important to note that this approach is still in its infancy and lacks both a thorough technical analysis and a unified effective framework. Meanwhile, as large models become a mainstream artificial intelligence paradigm, it is urgent to discuss typical industrial scenarios, such as how automated systems can transition from intelligent to collaborative operation and maintenance. In light of this premise, this article endeavors to advance a generalized technical framework for large model-driven time-series forecasting, under which existing methods can be subsumed. Then, within this overarching technical paradigm, the technical advancements facilitated by diverse methods will be systematically elucidated and analyzed, along with a comparative evaluation conducted across seven benchmark datasets. Concluding this analysis, the implementation pathway for the industrial automation system is delineated that integrates operator action commands to forecast post-action trends to assess action correctness in advance. Finally, the challenges and future directions of large model-based time-series forecasting are outlined.