Planned Saudi megacity 'The Line', designed for 9 million people across 170km, could be redesigned as a far smaller data center

• Saudi Arabia may swap residential plans for an industrial and AI focus
• The desert nation is investing heavily in GPUs for state-backed AI facilities
• Coastal access offers potential seawater cooling for desert data centers

Saudi Arabia’s Neom project, known as "The Line", was originally described as a linear urban development stretching roughly 170km across the desert.

The concept envisioned a linear city with extreme density, automated mobility, and renewable energy that would accommodate 9 million residents within its narrow footprint.

However, reports now suggest officials are reconsidering this vision after internal reviews revealed delays, rising costs, and broader fiscal pressure - and sources cited by the Financial Times say the revised plan may abandon large-scale residential ambitions in favor of far smaller industrial use.