2025 Middle East Saudi Arabia Urban Infrastructure Expo Helps Build Saudi Arabia Mega-Cities

How shocking it is that Saudi Arabia has spent 500 billion US dollars to build a super city with artificial snowmaking in deserts, the longest building, etc.! In recent years, Saudi Arabia has made frequent efforts in various fields, and has successively won the right to host the 2027 Asian Cup, the 2029 Asian Winter Games, the 2034 Asian Games, the 2034 World Cup, and a series of e-sports events. On 28 November 2023, Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, announced that it had been awarded the right to host the 2030 World Expo, once again showing the world its determination to transform its economy.

Saudi Arabia is vigorously developing infrastructure to prepare for the upcoming event. Among them, NEOM, a super city project located in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, covering an area of about 26,500 square kilometers and with a total investment of $500 billion, has attracted much attention as the venue for the 2029 Asian Winter Games.

NEOM means “New Future”, it is a coinage. “Neo” comes from the ancient Greek prefix meaning “new”, and “M” comes from the Arabic word “Mostaqbal” meaning “future”. In 2019, Saudi Arabia announced a capital injection of $500 billion to establish a closed joint-stock company called NEOM, which is wholly owned by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, and is responsible for developing the economic development zone of the New Future City.

NEOM will operate independently of Saudi Arabia's existing government framework, develop a new judicial and regulatory system, have its own tax system and labor laws. Its promotional materials also show that the city's residents will be free from Saudi Arabia's strict ban, allowing the consumption of alcoholic beverages currently prohibited in Islamic regions, and women will not need to wear headscarves.

The New Future City NEOM project will be powered entirely by renewable energy and based on a “pedestrian-friendly” plan, creating a comfortable community and reshaping urban life. Use the underground space to integrate basic public services and transportation service functions, build advanced physical and digital infrastructure, and realize the ideal community life.

In terms of industrial development, NEOM will mainly develop nine major industries, including energy and water resources, electronic technology, biotechnology, food, digital science, advanced manufacturing, and media and entertainment.

Saudi Arabia has invited 15 world-renowned design firms, including Zaha Hadid Architects, UNStudio, Aedas, LAVA and Bureau Proberts, to participate in the construction of the 26,500 square kilometers of NEOM area on the Red Sea into a sustainable future city. It currently includes at least four large projects, namely the ski resort Trojena, the mirror line city LINE, the octagonal industrial port Oxagon and the resort island Sindalah, as well as several distinctive small resort projects.

It is learned that many Chinese companies have won related projects for the construction of Saudi Arabia’s New Future City. China Power Construction Corporation is responsible for the construction of the super-high tower pile foundation of Saudi Arabia’s New Future City, and China Railway Construction International Group is responsible for the tunnel branch tunnel project of the New Future City. In addition, Chinese companies such as China Construction and Huawei have participated in the construction of the New Future City.

The 2025 Middle East Saudi Arabia Urban Infrastructure and Green Building Materials Expo specially invites Saudi Binladin Group, Al-Rashid Trading Contracting Company, Almabani Construction Company, Nesma Construction Contracting Company, Al-Kifah Contracting Company and other top Saudi construction companies, Saudi banks, water companies, energy companies and other professional purchasers and partners. It is a good communication and cooperation platform for Chinese construction companies to go to the world.