Oxagon

Oxagon, or the NEOM Industrial City, is the next paradigm for industrial cities and future manufacturing centers. It is also the largest floating industrial structure in the world. The Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Chairman of the NEOM Board of Directors, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, announced its establishment on November 16, 2021. Various businesses, including Haizone and McLaren, were attracted and announced during the launch event. GDI began welcoming manufacturing leaders, investors, and business owners in 2022.

The establishment of NEOM Industrial City, Oxagon, is forming the next phase in NEOM’s master plan and representing a radical new model for future manufacturing centers based on NEOM’s strategies of redefining the way humanity lives and works in the future.

According to His Royal Highness (HRH) Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Oxagon will be the catalyst for economic growth and diversity in NEOM and the Kingdom, further meeting our ambitions under Saudi Vision 2030. Oxagon will contribute to redefining the world’s approach to industrial development in the future, protecting the environment while creating jobs and growth. It will contribute to Saudi Arabia’s regional trade and commerce, and support creating a new focal point for global trade flows in the region.

Oxagon boasts a strategic location in the southwest corner of NEOM, in the northwestern part of the Kingdom. It is located on the Red Sea and close to the Suez Canal, the route for 13 percent of the globe’s trade. Oxagon will be one of the world’s most technologically advanced logistics hubs with a state-of-the-art integrated port. The core urban environment is centered around the integrated port and logistics hub that will house most of the city’s anticipated residents.

Oxagon will encompass over a hundred facilities contributing to its urban character. It will utilize the octagonal design to optimize coastal land use and drive NEOM’s commitment to preserving natural resources. This upcoming industrial city will be a hub for NEOM’s Blue Economy development, with more than 10 km² allocated to this sector. It will serve as a foundation for innovation and reflect NEOM’s focus on creative development, including establishing an Institute for Marine Science and Oceanography to spearhead marine exploration, research, marine biotechnology, and aquaculture. There will be a floating marine station alongside the Institute, both serving as landmarks in Oxagon's floating structure.

In the final stages of its development, Oxagon will be the world's first city to combine urban development with smart industries in one location, fully embracing the principles of the Blue Economy and providing an attractive environment for the world's top innovators and researchers, who in turn will act as one of NEOM's key drivers. The octagonal design minimizes environmental impact and provides optimal land usage, supporting NEOM's commitment to preserving 95 percent of the natural environment. A defining feature of the city is the world’s largest floating structure, which will become a center for NEOM’s Blue Economy and achieve sustainable growth.

Oxagon complements the same philosophy and principles of THE LINE city (announced in January 2021) and will offer exceptional livability in harmony with nature. Ideally located on the Red Sea close to the Suez Canal, the route for 13 percent of the globe’s trade. Oxagon will be one of the world’s most technologically advanced logistics hubs with a state-of-the-art integrated port connected to the railway system.

Oxagon will establish the world’s first fully integrated port and supply chain ecosystem for NEOM. The port, logistics, and rail delivery facility will be unified, providing world-class productivity with net-zero carbon emissions. The agile and integrated physical and digital supply chain and logistics system will allow for real-time planning, resulting in secure timely delivery, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness for industry partners.

At Oxagon’s core will be the adoption of the most advanced technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT,) human-machine fusion, artificial and predictive intelligence, and robotics, all of which are coupled to a network of fully automated independent distribution centers to drive NEOM’s ambitions of creating an integrated, intelligent and efficient supply chain.

The net-zero city will be a hub for clean and advanced industries, powered by 100 percent clean energy, and will become a focal point for industry leaders who want to pioneer change to create the advanced and clean factories of the future.

Seven sectors form the nucleus of Oxagon’s industrial development, with innovation and new technology creating a vital base for these industries. These industries are sustainable energy, autonomous mobility, water innovation, sustainable food production, health and well-being, technology and digital manufacturing (including telecommunications, space technology, and robotics,) and modern construction methods, all powered by 100 percent renewable energy.

Using advanced manufacturing methods, Oxagon will produce eco-friendly industries in the future based on the principles of sustainability and reuse. Oxagon embodies the Fourth Industrial Revolution, serving as a contemporary model of a fully automated and productive city. NEOM will redefine communication standards, accelerate industrial growth, enhance industrial capabilities, and boost the competitiveness of companies and the region. Therefore, Oxagon aspires to lay the foundation for the Fifth Industrial Revolution, paving the way for the next phase of the human-machine relationship.

Similar to THE LINE, Oxagon offers exceptional livability that is reflected in its urban landscape, where communities will be designed for walkability and hydrogen-powered mobility, which is environmentally friendly as a biofuel that powers transportation systems. The sustainable industry will be built around communities, minimizing commute times and providing exceptional livability with nature seamlessly integrated into the urban environment.

The construction of Oxagon as a semi-floating city aligns with NEOM's commitment to embracing the principles of the Blue Economy, allowing for the development of water resources, minimizing land use for industrial purposes, and preserving the environment. The ultimate goal is to ensure broader prospects and solutions for developing industrial cities along the coastlines affected by climate change. As a pioneering global model, Oxagon is a hub for clean and advanced industries. It will utilize the latest Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies and circular economy principles to assist companies in innovation and competition.

On February 01, 2023, the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources issued the first license in Oxagon to NEOM Green Hydrogen Company (NGHC,) a joint venture between ACWA Power, Air Products, and NEOM.

This step took advantage of the Kingdom's low-cost hydrocarbon resources and its strategic location for low-cost renewable energy sources. The Kingdom is working to stimulate the global hydrogen economy through its targets to become one of the world's leading hydrogen-producing countries, while maintaining its position in the energy sector. This is part of NEOM's effort and its ambitious vision to develop sustainable and innovative solutions to address major global challenges, foremost among them climate change.