Is Saudi Arabia’s The Line megaproject coming to a halt?

The futuristic linear city The Line, a mainstay of the Neom project launched in 2017 in Saudi Arabia by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a central element of the Vision 2030 economic strategy, has reportedly been sharply scaled back and partly shelved after years marked by construction delays, huge production costs and growing doubts about the financial viability of the intervention.

The original plan called for the construction of a megalopolis some 170 kilometers long, stretching from the Red Sea to the desert hinterland, designed to accommodate 9 million residents in a sequence of skyscrapers clad in reflective surfaces, with no cars and low emissions, thanks to a high-speed transportation system and extensive use of renewable energy. According to several international news outlets, however, the entire plan would now be undergoing a major overhaul, which could significantly alter its size and functions. 

Among the hypotheses that have emerged from a report in the Financial Times, although not confirmed for now, could be that some areas initially planned for the Linear City will be earmarked for the construction of large-scale digital infrastructure, such as large data centers capable of supporting the development of cloud services and artificial intelligence applications. A choice that could prove to be in line with the new 5 billion deal signed between Neom and DataVolt - Saudi Arabia-based data center investor and developer - for the construction of the Oxagon Industrial Zone, intended to become a global hub for innovative technologies, logistics and clean energy production, including green hydrogen. 

This possible conversion would fit into the Saudi strategy of economic diversification desired to attract digital-related investment and become a competitive force with other Gulf countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, gradually reducing its dependence on the oil industry. 

Within this new framework, the conversion of some components of Neom from an experimental urban project to a technological infrastructure could represent a significant and strategic shift. Rather than a futuristic city intended for millions of inhabitants, the area could then evolve into a major regional hub for cloud computing, data centers, and AI development, with a consequently very different orientation from its starting point. 

Cover image: The Line, courtesy Neom