JAKARTA – Saudi Arabia’s highly publicized Neom development—one of the most expensive and architecturally ambitious urban projects ever conceived—is reportedly struggling to survive. Recent revelations from insider sources describe a project plagued by dysfunction and mounting concerns about its viability.

The Original Vision

Neom was designed as an expansive network of futuristic developments along the Red Sea coastline. Its centerpiece, The Line, was planned as an unprecedented 105-mile linear city initially projected to accommodate up to 9 million residents by 2030. The project featured striking architectural concepts, including an inverted 30-story structure nicknamed “the chandelier” designed to hang suspended over a marina entrance.

However, engineers raised serious concerns about the feasibility of such designs. One architect reportedly warned about the risks of suspending such a massive building, noting that natural phenomena like Earth’s rotation and structural swaying could cause the inverted tower to develop dangerous pendulum-like movements, potentially leading to catastrophic failure.

Current Reality

Despite investments exceeding $50 billion, the desert landscape now shows primarily construction beginnings—foundation work and trenches—rather than completed structures. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has significantly reduced the scope of the initial development phase. While official statements maintain that The Line remains a “strategic priority” and a “new blueprint for humanity,” the project is now described as a “multi-generational development” suggesting a dramatically extended timeline.

Workers and employees interviewed express skepticism about the project’s future. Construction activity has decelerated across most Neom sites, with the Trojena ski resort—scheduled to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games—being one of the few areas maintaining momentum. Some former staff members suggest the challenge now involves finding ways to gracefully scale back expectations.

Financial Challenges

A critical obstacle has been securing adequate funding. While executives continuously requested additional capital, competition among various Neom subprojects created internal conflicts. Although some wealthy Saudi families contributed modest amounts, the substantial foreign investment that Riyadh anticipated never materialized. This funding shortfall has led senior construction managers to doubt whether The Line will ever be fully realized.

Broader Implications

The faltering project carries significant reputational consequences for Saudi Arabia. As a key American ally in the Middle East, the Kingdom has long faced criticism regarding governance and human rights issues. Neom represented an opportunity to reshape that narrative—demonstrating capability in modern sectors like artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and electric vehicles.

Instead, the struggling development risks becoming symbolic of the Kingdom’s challenges in modernizing and adapting to contemporary expectations. This perception is compounded by reports from Human Rights Watch regarding worker fatalities during construction—raising uncomfortable parallels to historical projects built through exploitation.

Alternative Strategy

The Kingdom has found more success through a different approach: positioning itself as essential infrastructure for the global artificial intelligence boom. Saudi Arabia has made substantial investments in data centers and established partnerships to provide computing infrastructure for Western technological expansion. This strategy appears more sustainable than the multi-trillion-dollar urban development ambitions.

Looking Forward

The Neom experience highlights the challenges of translating ambitious vision into practical reality, particularly when foundational designs conflict with engineering principles and economic realities. What began as a statement of futuristic capability now serves as a cautionary tale about the limits of ambition unsupported by pragmatic planning and adequate resources.

Original Article:

Gizmodo. (2025, November 17). Saudi Arabia’s Dystopian Futuristic City Project Is Crashing and Burning. Retrieved from https://gizmodo.com/saudi-arabias-dystopian-futuristic-city-project-is-crashing-and-burning-2000683752