New Murabba and Alat sign Mukaab project MoU
1 August 2025
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Saudi Arabia’s New Murabba Development Company (NMDC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Alat, a Public Investment Fund (PIF)-backed company, to explore the development and integration of technologies supporting the Mukaab project.
The MoU also covers potential future technology needs across the wider New Murabba downtown development.
“The collaboration focuses on developing innovative technologies for Mukaab by integrating advanced systems,” NMDC said in a statement issued by the official Saudi Press Agency.
The agreement includes exploring vertical transportation solutions – such as elevators and escalators – to support mobility within the Mukaab and other New Murabba developments.
The statement added that “the MoU will also explore optimal funding strategies for initial investments in hardware and research and development, while evaluating the feasibility of establishing production facilities within the kingdom”.
This announcement follows other MoUs signed by NMDC in recent weeks. In July, it signed an MoU with South Korea’s Heerim Architects & Planners to explore additional design work for assets within the 14-square-kilometre New Murabba downtown project.
Heerim will examine architectural concepts aligned with the project’s masterplan, focusing on anchor assets, linear parks and smart city features.
Earlier in July, NMDC signed an MoU with another South Korean firm, Naver Cloud Corporation, to explore technological solutions for delivering the New Murabba downtown project.
According to an official statement: “The three-year agreement covers exploring innovative technology and automation to support the delivery of New Murabba, including robotics, autonomous vehicles, a smart city platform and digital solutions for monitoring construction progress.”
Also in July, NMDC announced the completion of excavation works for The Mukaab, the centrepiece of the overall development.
The Mukaab is a Najdi-inspired landmark set to become one of the largest buildings in the world, standing 400 metres high, wide and long.
Internally, it will feature a tower atop a spiral base, with 2 million square metres of floor space dedicated to hospitality. The structure will include commercial areas, cultural and tourist attractions, residential and hotel units, and recreational facilities.
Downtown destination
The New Murabba destination will have a total floor area of more than 25 million sq m and feature more than 104,000 residential units, 9,000 hotel rooms and over 980,000 sq m of retail space.
The scheme will include 1.4 million sq m of office space, 620,000 sq m of leisure facilities and 1.8 million sq m of space dedicated to community facilities.
The project will be developed around the concept of sustainability and will include green spaces and walking and cycling paths to promote active lifestyles and community activities.
The living, working and entertainment facilities will be developed within a 15-minute walking radius. The area will use an internal transport system and will be about a 20-minute drive from the airport.
The downtown area will feature a museum, a technology and design university, an immersive, multipurpose theatre, and more than 80 entertainment and cultural venues.
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