The Neom gigaproject under construction in the Saudi desert is reportedly using one-fifth of the entire world’s available steel.

The project was first announced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in October 2017.

Neom is intended to be an independent, liberal, high-tech megacity with its own tax and labour laws and judiciary. It will cover three countries (Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan) across 26,500km2 of empty desert along the Red Sea.

Neom is owned by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund and is part of Saudi Vision 2030, a plan that seeks to diversify the country’s economy and reduce its dependence on oil.

In July 2022, Saudi Arabia presented the first designs for one region of Neom called The Line, a ‘linear city’ expected to accommodate nine million people.

The Line consists of two single parallel structures stretching over 105 miles and connecting the country’s west and east coasts. Its central section consists of two 500-metre-tall skyscrapers. The whole complex will only be...