From Zero to Fourteen Gigawatts: Saudi Arabia's Renewable Energy Sprint and the Geopolitics of the Sun
Six years ago, Saudi Arabia had no large-scale renewable power plants. In 2026, it plans to award 14 gigawatts of new solar and wind capacity — one of the largest renewable procurement rounds in history.
Saudi Arabia Inc.: Is Mohammed bin Salman Building a Country or a Holding Company?
The Public Investment Fund owns the airline, the football clubs, the entertainment company, the car manufacturer, the data centers, and the defence industry. With $941 billion in assets and one chairman, is this diversification — or something else entirely?
The $113 Paradox: Saudi Arabia Needs Record Oil Prices to Fund the Plan to Not Need Oil
Bloomberg Economics estimates Saudi Arabia needs oil at $96 per barrel to balance its budget and $113 to fund MBS's project pipeline. In December 2025, Saudi crude was at $55. The math no longer works.
Vision 2030 at Ten: The Most Expensive Reality Check in History
A decade after Mohammed bin Salman unveiled the most ambitious economic transformation plan ever attempted by a petrostate, Saudi Arabia is rewriting the rules — not abandoning them.
When the Drones Came Home: How the Iran War Exposed the Fragility of Vision 2030
Iranian drones struck Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura refinery on March 2, 2026, forcing a shutdown of 550,000 barrels per day. For Vision 2030, the attack detonated the foundational assumption that Saudi Arabia could reform in peace.
Year of the Machine: Inside Saudi Arabia's $9.1 Billion Bet on Artificial Intelligence
Saudi Arabia has designated 2026 as the Year of AI. Behind the branding lies a ruthlessly ambitious infrastructure play — $9.1 billion in funding, the world's largest government data center, and a strategic pivot converting NEOM into a hyperscale computing zone.
The Mukaab: Inside Saudi Arabia's $50 Billion Cube and Why It Was Suspended
The definitive analysis of The Mukaab — the 400-metre cube at the centre of Saudi Arabia's New Murabba megaproject. Why construction was suspended, what it signals for Vision 2030, and what comes next for the world's most ambitious building.
100 Million Tourists by 2030: Is It Realistic?
Assessment of Saudi Arabia's 100 million tourist target — infrastructure capacity, competitive positioning, visa policies, and demand drivers.
900 Reforms: Impact Assessment of Saudi Arabia's Regulatory Revolution
Assessment of Saudi Arabia's 900+ regulatory reforms under the NCC — impact on business environment, FDI, and economic diversification.
Analysis & Editorial
Independent, evidence-based analysis of Saudi Vision 2030 — balanced assessments of progress, risks, and strategic outlook.
Dutch Disease Risk in Saudi Diversification
Analysis of how Dutch Disease dynamics — currency overvaluation, competitiveness erosion, and resource sector crowding out — affect Saudi Arabia's diversification strategy under Vision 2030.
Giga-Projects: Ambition vs Reality
Critical assessment of Saudi giga-projects — delivery timelines, cost overruns, scope adjustments, and strategic logic behind NEOM and others.
Is Saudisation Working? Quality vs Quantity in the Saudi Labour Market
Assessment of Saudi Saudisation (Nitaqat) — are nationalisation quotas creating genuine employment or distorting the labour market?
MBS Leadership and Vision 2030 Execution
How centralised authority under Crown Prince MBS shapes Vision 2030 execution — speed, coordination, and personalised governance risks.
NEOM: Technical Feasibility and Financial Viability
Analysis of NEOM's technical feasibility and financial viability — The Line's engineering challenges, the $500B price tag, and scope adjustments.
PIF Investment Strategy: Returns vs Diversification
Critical analysis of the Public Investment Fund's dual mandate — balancing financial returns with domestic diversification across $941B.
Private Sector Growth: Genuine Diversification or Government-Dependent?
Is Saudi private sector growth genuine diversification or fundamentally dependent on government spending and state-linked enterprises?
Saudi Arabia's Entertainment Revolution
Saudi Arabia's transformation into a regional entertainment hub — cinema, concerts, sports, and the economics of social liberalisation.
Saudi Aramco's Future Beyond Hydrocarbons
Saudi Aramco's strategic evolution — from the world's largest oil company to a diversified energy and chemicals conglomerate.
Saudi Climate Commitments: Credibility Assessment
Analysis of Saudi Arabia's climate commitments — the net zero 2060 pledge, Saudi Green Initiative, and the credibility gap between words and actions.
Saudi Construction Boom: Sustainability Questions
Sustainability of Saudi Arabia's construction boom — giga-project pipeline, workforce pressures, cost escalation, and post-2030 bust risk.
Saudi Education Quality vs Quantity
Assessment of Saudi Arabia's education system — spending inputs vs learning outcomes, university rankings, and human capital reforms.
Saudi Expat Dependency and Knowledge Transfer
Analysis of Saudi Arabia's dependence on foreign workers, the 14M expatriate workforce, knowledge transfer gaps, and Saudisation tensions.
Saudi Fiscal Sustainability Under Stress
Analysis of Saudi Arabia's fiscal position — oil price dependency, rising breakeven prices, debt trajectory, and Vision 2030 spending sustainability.
Saudi Youth Bulge: Demographic Dividend or Challenge?
Saudi Arabia's youth demographic — 63% under 35 — and whether this is an economic asset or structural pressure on Vision 2030.
The Evolving Saudi Social Contract
How Vision 2030 transforms the Saudi social contract — from oil-funded welfare to a new bargain centred on opportunity and national pride.
The Oil Dependency Paradox: Funding Diversification with Oil
Saudi Arabia's fundamental paradox — using oil wealth to fund the transition away from oil dependency and the structural risks for Vision 2030.
Vision 2030 at the Midpoint: An Independent Assessment
Independent assessment of Saudi Vision 2030 at its midpoint — KPI progress, structural achievements, and remaining challenges.
Vision 2030 KPIs: Credibility and Measurement Challenges
Examination of Vision 2030's KPI framework — data transparency, measurement methodology, and whether progress metrics reflect reality.
Women in the Saudi Workforce: Progress and Barriers
Women's workforce participation in Saudi Arabia — from 17% to 36%, genuine progress and the structural barriers that remain.