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Saudi Arabia is scaling down its Neom megacity project due to ongoing economic challenges, including low Brent crude oil prices. Originally budgeted at $500 billion, costs have surged to an estimated $1.5 trillion, prompting a redesign that may focus on data centers to support the nation's AI ambitions. Despite these changes, Neom faces tight deadlines to be operational by Expo 2030 and the 2034 World Cup, amid a projected budget deficit of 165 billion riyals for 2026.