Welcome to Neom, Saudi Arabia’s desert dystopia in the making

The development is aimed to totally be powered by renewable energies. The project emerged from the country’s Vision 2030, a plan that aims to reduce Saudi Arabia’s dependence on oil, stretch its economy and grow public service sectors. The scheme calls for robots to perform duties such as logistics, security, caregiving, and home delivery.
Furthermore, aiming for the city to get powered solely by solar and wind power. Due to the city’s design construction starting from scratch, more infrastructure innovations and mobility have been suggested. Planning and construction will be done with $500 billion from the country’s Public Investment Fund and international investors.
Neom is a planned smart city in Tabuk Province in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The site is north of the Red Sea, east of Egypt across the Gulf of Aqaba, and south of Jordan. The total area of Neom is 26,500 km² or 33 times the size of New York City.
The name NEOM is derived from two words. Envisioned by His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Chairman of the NEOM Company Board of Directors, the first three letters come from the Ancient Greek prefix neo – meaning 'new'. The 'M' is the first from 'Mustaqbal', an Arabic word meaning 'future'.