After several years of budget overruns and technical delays, the Saudi authorities have decided to significantly reduce the scale of construction of the "Neome" An ultra-modern metropolis in the desert, which was supposed to become a symbol of the kingdom's new economy.
According to sources, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who heads the board of directors of the project, approved a downward revision of the initial plans. The reason was long-term financial overloads and the inability to meet the original deadlines for implementation.
The first alarming signal was the postponement of the 2029 Asian Winter Games. The competition was planned to be held at the Troyena resort, a high-tech ski complex in the mountains on the territory of Neoma. Last Saturday, the organizers announced the postponement of the event for an indefinite period without explaining the reasons.
But the main changes will affect the central element of the futuristic linear city project, The Line. Initially, it was assumed that this would be a chain of mirrored skyscrapers 500 meters high, stretching for 170 kilometers from the coast of the Red Sea deep into the desert. Now, according to insiders, the project is facing a radical restructuring with a significant reduction in length and scale.
About the project
Neome, which occupies an area comparable to the area of Belgium, was conceived as the Saudi answer to Silicon Valley, the center of technology, innovation and an eco-friendly life. The cost of the project was initially estimated at 500 billion dollars, but later experts started talking about a figure approaching 9 trillion. By 2045, it was planned to house 9 million residents here.In addition to The Line and the Troyen ski resort, the complex includes Oxagon, an industrial and logistics hub on the coast. However, it was The Line that aroused the most skepticism among engineers and economists: the idea of a city without cars, with flying taxis, robot butlers and one hundred percent use of renewable energy seemed utopian to many urbanists.
Changing priorities
In the new realities, the Saudi government is shifting its focus to the industrialization of the region. The focus will now be on building data centers. The coastal location provides access to huge amounts of seawater needed to cool the servers, making this location strategically valuable.
This reversal fits into the Crown Prince's global strategy: diversifying the economy, abandoning the oil needle, and turning the country into a world leader in artificial intelligence.
The reduction of the "Neome" comes at a difficult time for the kingdom: the country is actively preparing for the 2030 World Expo in Riyadh and the 2034 FIFA World Cup. These events also require huge investments in infrastructure, which forces the authorities to prioritize the ambitious Vision 2030 program.
Source: Euronews
