Saudi Arabia’s giga-projects never fail to wow us. To prove the point, HRH Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman announced plans to build a carbon emissions-free industrial city “floating” on the Red Sea as part of the Neom mega-project.
The project, dubbed Oxagon, will feature a port and a logistics hub, and plans to be the largest floating industrial complex in the world. Neom stated in a release that it will be a “comprehensive cognitive city” focused on robotics and artificial intelligence.
Announced in 2017, Neom is the crown jewel of Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s program to overhaul the economy of the world’s largest oil exporter. His plan to turn the remote region on the kingdom’s northwest Red Sea coast into a robot-driven tech hub encapsulates the major elements of his Saudi Vision 2030 to diversify away from crude, loosen social restrictions and boost investment.
When Prince Mohammed announced Neom, it was originally framed as a $500 billion investment. Neom will also build a car-free 170-kilometre (105-mile) linear city called The Line as its centrepiece.
Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO of Neom, says, “Through Oxagon, there will be a fundamental shift in how the world views manufacturing centres. What encourages us is to see the enthusiasm of a number of our partners who have shown eagerness to start their projects in Oxagon.
“These pioneers of change will establish factories, developed with the latest technologies in artificial intelligence, to achieve a significant leap for this era into the Fourth Industrial Revolution. As with The Line, Oxagon will be a comprehensive cognitive city that provides exceptional livability for its residents.
Planners want the city to be 100 percent powered by renewable energy and to focus on sustainable energy, autonomous mobility, water innovation, sustainable food production, health and wellbeing, technology and digital manufacturing. We can’t wait to float away.
