According to new reports, Saudi Arabia has decided to postpone any major additional work on THE LINE until at least after 2030. Meanwhile, NEOM appears to be evolving from a desert utopia into an industrial, energy and digital platform.

Earlier reports of THE LINE – the 170-kilometer-long linear city designed as the most spectacular element of NEOM, the massive urban and industrial plan commissioned by Saudi Arabia as part of Vision 2030 – was entering a critical phase. Even then, there was talk of downsizing, strategic reviews, contract cuts, and drastically reduced targets. Above all, an investigation by the Financial Times had identified a significant signal in the new agreement signed by NEOM with DataVolt, a Saudi company specializing in digital infrastructure and energy for data centers.

The deal, which involved massive investments in artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure, hinted at an increasingly evident shift in priorities: fewer speculative megastructures and more technological infrastructure deemed economically sustainable and strategic.

The news has not been officially confirmed either by NEOM or by the Saudi government. Semafor writes that the company “did not respond to requests for comment,” but the account published by the American outlet – later picked up by other economic and financial platforms – is based on anonymous sources close to the matter. “People familiar with the matter,” writes journalist Matthew Martin in the article published on May 22, which reviews all the signs of deceleration that have emerged in recent months: from the reallocation of Saudi investments toward infrastructure considered more profitable and strategic, to statements by Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), who as early as April 2026 had spoken publicly about the postponement of certain NEOM projects.

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