What is NEOM? 21 things to know about the Saudi giga-project

When it comes mega (or giga) projects, Saudi Arabia takes the crown.

The Kingdom is not only building some of the biggest and boldest projects on the planet – including the world’s next tallest tower – but it is set to invest more than US$175 billion annually on industrial and mega projects between 2025 and 2028, according to a new report by McKinsey & Co.

Currently, projects worth nearly US$1.3 trillion are underway, with major initiatives including the PIF-backed US$500 billion NEOM – a project that is as mega (or giga) as it gets, with Saudi officials describing it as “the world’s most ambitious project”.

A high-tech smart city being built in Saudi’s northwestern region, in a strategic location at the crossroads of global trade, is not just giga in size – roughly 33 times the size of New York City – but also giga in innovation.

The world’s first cognitive city, once complete, NEOM will be home to flying taxis, the world’s first zero-gravity vertical city, zero-carbon living, the world’s largest floating structure and the Gulf’s first outdoor ski resort. While yacht club destination Sindalah will be the first destination to open in 2024, NEOM’s mountainous Trojena ski resort destination is not planned for completion until 2029.

Divided into 14 sectors and including key projects such as The Line, Oxagon, Trojena, and Sindalah – each delivering its own unique concept – NEOM will be home to a million people by 2030 and nine million by 2045.

Not simply a destination to visit or live, NEOM is described in the giga city’s latest progress film release (below) as a “hub for innovation, sustainable living, and a vision for a new future” – it will redefine business, liveability and conservation, creating a future where people and the planet can thrive together.

And the construction of the US$500 billion city is well underway, with significant development achieved on The Line, Oxagon, Sindalah and Trojena.

Here are 21 things you might not know about this giga development. 

1. NEOM name genesis 

The word NEOM is a portmanteau of two words. ‘NEO’ hails from the Ancient Greek prefix meaning ‘new’, while the fourth letter M is from the abbreviation of Mostaqbal – the Arabic word for ‘future’.

2. 14X the size of Singapore 

Located in the north-western Tabuk Province, close to the Red Sea, and comprising a total area of 26,500 km-sq, NEOM is the size of Belgium, fourteen times the size of Singapore and 33 times the size of New York City. Its land mass extends across the Egyptian and Jordanian borders making it the world’s first private special zone to span three countries. Connecting Asia, Europe, Africa and America, the zone will enable 70% of the world’s population to reach it in under eight hours, while 10% of the world’s trade flows through the Red Sea.

3. From sunbathing to skiing 

The unique geographical location within a mountainous region of NEOM ensures a temperate climate, around 10C cooler than surrounding areas and the rest of the GCC. Among unique features, 460km of pristine coastline and untouched beaches, and mountains reaching up to 2,500km, which are covered in snow during winter and around which the GCC’s first outdoor ski resort (Trojena) is being built.

NEOM will draw on ‘cloud seeding’ technology to make artificial clouds, designed to produce more rainfall than is normally possible in the desert environment.

4. 63,000 workers employed

NEOM already has 3,000 employees and 60,000 construction specialists working on the project with major infrastructure projects including roads, utilities and a hospital already built.

5. Nine economic sectors planned 

As a special economic zone, NEOM will be a hub for various industries, creating many job opportunities and attracting investment to the country. The aim is to develop nine key economic sectors for the future designed to create a self-sufficient economy that can produce its own goods and services with profits reinvested locally for sustainable growth. Among the sectors, mobility, energy, biotech, health and wellbeing, food, media production, entertainment, digital sciences, advanced manufacturing and tourism.

6. World’s largest carbon-free green hydrogen plant

NEOM will be home to the world’s largest carbon-free Green Hydrogen plant, expected to be operational by 2026. The US$8.4 billion plant, which is the brainchild of the NEOM Green Hydrogen Company, an equal joint venture by ACWA Power, Air Products and NEOM, is currently being built at Oxagon – the world's first and largest fully automated port and integrated logistics hub ­– and will integrate up to 4GW of solar and wind energy to produce up to 600 tonnes per day of carbon-free hydrogen by the end of 2026. This marks a cost-effective solution for the transportation and industrial sectors globally.

7. Port of NEOM

With construction already underway, this US$2 billion development will see the first new advanced container terminal complete by 2025, providing a significant upgrade to the terminal that is already operational.

8. Sustainability takes centre stage

The new city will focus on sustainability by creating a circular economy to eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials, and regenerate nature. The goal is that NEOM will be fully powered by renewable energy, from solar, wind and hydrogen-based power generation (hence, the hydrogen plant) – while all buildings will have a net zero carbon footprint. NEOM’s game-changing desalination technology is 100% carbon neutral and entirely sustainable too.

9. Tax benefits

NEOM is expected to offer the best international standards in relation to tax, the regulatory environment and commercial law and will

10. Host of the 2034 football World Cup?

Saudi has begun planning a bid to host the World Cup in 2034, which could potentially be held in the Trojena ski resort, a report from The Times states. The Kingdom, which will play host to the FIFA World Cup in December 2023, has been investing heavily in sports in recent years and especially football, having both high-profile football players including Ronaldo, Benzena and Neymar.

11. Trojena ski resort among world’s most sustainable

One of the four regions of NEOM, Trojena is being built as a unique four-season adventure and sports destination that will include activities such as skiing (elevations from 1,500m to 2,600m), water sports, hiking and mountain biking and feature an all-year Ski Village, a man-made freshwater lake and a 3,000-seat mountainside amphitheatre. Home to the GCC’s first outdoor ski resort, Trojena is expected to be fully complete before the region hosts the Asian Winter Games in 2029.

The resort also promises to be one of the world’s most environmentally friend ski resorts, featuring renewable energy, minimised water usage and maximum water recovery enabling carbon neutral snow production without chemical additives.

12. Supertall skyscraper at Trojena 

NEOM recently released images of a super-tall skyscraper that is set to stand on top of a mountain overlooking an artificial lake at the centre of the Trojena development. Named Discovery Tower and designed by UK studio Zaha Hadid Architects, the crystalline skyscraper will reach 330 metres tall and will feature observation decks and restaurants and will be connected to a weries of hotels by a cable car.

13. Michelin-starred restaurants 

According to NEOM’s plan, residents will be able to choose from more Michelin-starred restuarants per capital than in any other city in the world.

14. Network of airports 

NEOM will eventually be home to a network of airports, including one of the world’s largest international airports due to be ready before 2030. One airport is already open, NEOM Bay Airport in the northern region of Sharma, which operates regular flights for NEOM investors and employees. 

15. Rebuilding the native ecosystem 

As well as building infrastructure, NEOM is rebuilding the native ecosystem of Saudi on a scale not before attempted – with a commitment to preserve 95% of its land for nature. The NEOM nature reserve, which spans 25,000 sq-km across four distinct ecologies (coastal, lower desert, mountains and upper valley) is focused on regreening and rewilding the area. Neom aims to plant 100 million shrubs, trees and other plants by 2030 and re-introduce native species. The reserve recently saw births of 25 Arabian sand gazelle fawns, eight Nubian ibex offspring and five oryx.

16. The Line one-fifth complete 

Currently under construction, with one-fifth of the project completed, The Line is a 170km-long carbon-neutral linear smart city that is expected to eventually house up to nine million people. As well as being the first city in the world to be powered by renewable energy, The Line marks the first time in 150 years that a major development has been designed around people, not roads. The city will be car-free and with life defined around walkability – all essential services within a five-minute walk, while high-speed transit will be ensure all areas of NEOM are accessible within 20 minutes.

17. NEOM to open first physical destination in 2024 

Sindalah, Saudi’s luxury island and yacht club destination will mark NEOM’s first physical destination to launch when it opens in 2024. Located just 17 hours away by boat from most Mediterranean yachting destinations, the island is an entry point into NEOM and a prime stopping-off point for regional and European boat and yacht owners – creating a new season for super-yachts. Along with an 86-berth marine for yachts up to 75m, the resort features a yacht club, luxury hotels, golf club, extensive retail precinct and F&B. Uniquely and sustainably, buildings are designed as rocks, Sindalah sand and seashells form the basis of aggregates for the village building materials.

18. NEOM to be new film superset

As part of NEOM’s mission to create a world-class media hub, the project is setting itself up as a super-stage for TV and film-making. NEOM has already provided the backdrop for 30 productions in the last 18 months, including Rupert Wyatt’s Desert Warrior starting Sir Ben Kinsley as well as Million Dollar Island, the first regional reality TV show. Pushing forward with its mission, NEOM is signing partnerships including with Saudi creative media studio Telfaz11 to create nine productions at NEOM over the next three years; and with the Korean Film Council to raise production standards, nurture Saudi filmmakers, and facilitate co-productions.

19. Business, tech centre to create 380,000 jobs

Construction has already started on a business and tech centre that is expected to contribute a staggering US$48 billion to the Kingdom’s GDP and create 380,000 jobs.

20. Leyja is the new sustainable tourism oasis 

The latest tourism project to be announced by NEOM, Leyja is set to be a destination focused on ecotourism. Extending from the Gulf of the Aqaba coast to the 400m-high mountains, Leyja delivers a blend of natural beauty and historical significance. In true sustainable style, a staggering 95% of Leyja will be preserved for nature. The destination will feature three intelligently designed hotels by world-leading architects, each offering 120 elegant boutique rooms and suites. The properties, including a wellness retreat, will be ecologically designed and in harmony with nature. Among experiences to be had here, wellness facilities, guided wadi walks, hiking trails, mountain biking and climbing.

21. Tonomus is the technology powering NEOM

As the first company to be established as a full-fledged subsidiary of NEOM, Tonomus is the giga project’s technology and digital lead – building the cognitive foundation of the project with its constantly expanding portfolio of AI projects and development of human-centric technologies. This summer, Tonomus launched its first digital communication facility – a high-capacity, highly efficient datacentre created to enhance the availability, resilience and growth of 5G, satellite and fibre cable network connectivity and enable private cloud services in the NEOM region.