TECH

Saudi Arabia to Build US $ 500 Billion Megacity

The world's largest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia is building a new city 33 times the size of New York in the United States. The $ 500 billion project aims to diversify the country's economy and reduce its dependence on oil.Named after Neon, the city was heralded by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The plans are ambitious. Neom will be 100% fueled by renewable energy. According to the prince, funding for the work will be done with both resources from the Saudi government and from private investors. Authorities hope a financing program, which includes the sale of 5% of oil giant Saudi Aramco, raises $ 300 billion to build the city.Saudi Arabia hopes to complete the first part of the new city by 2025. According to the release material, "the project is designed to turn the kingdom into a global innovation leader and a business center, with the aim of stimulating local industry, create jobs in the private sector and boost the kingdom's GDP. "Five palaces are planned on the Red Sea coast. They will be for the king, the crown prince and other members of high royalty. The buildings will have traditional Moroccan-style architecture, Islamic designs and colorful tiles. The complex of palaces will include a marina, heliports and a golf course.

To do so, Neom aims to attract "the best talent from around the world to push the boundaries of innovation like never before and boost the region's growth." The Saudi government highlights the economic and geographical advantages of the region, noting that approximately 10% of world trade flows through the Red Sea, connecting Asia, Europe, Africa and America. Even the local climate is praised. According to the publicity material, the city will be located in a unique location, with a temperature around 10 ° C lower than the average of the surroundings, since it will be set in a mountainous region, with fresh winds coming from the Red Sea region. The region also has 468km of coastline with untouched beaches, islands and even mountains of 2,500 meters of altitude.
The country has appointed Klaus Kleinfeld, former CEO of Siemens AG and Alcoa to run the Neom project. Kleinfeld explained that the city will take into account what he said was a generational change in relation to demand for cars. Kleinfeld added that Neom is exploring "how quickly [we] can bring in passenger drones" and how the city will encourage pedestrian traffic.

"These are the concepts we are working on and there are many willing to help invest in it." For Kleinfeld, Neom will be a showcase of what he calls a "post-industrial" lifestyle.Technology investments in other sectors, such as water management, biotechnology (human and pharmaceuticals), food (exploration of seawater, agriculture in desert areas and hydroponics), entertainment (sports, games (virtual reality, augmented, data center, artificial intelligence, internet of things and e-commerce), manufacturing (3D printing, new materials and robotics) and, of course, in hotels being the first constructions of the place.
Attention is drawn to the description that the site will have "world-class social norms in culture, arts and education," since Saudi Arabia is one of the most conservative countries in the world and quite rigid with the behavior of women, who have obtained the right to vote only in 2015 and to run only last year. They are still barred from opening a bank account, starting a business or applying for a passport without the permission of a man.

Époque Magazine-Brazil