Saudi Arabia is officially scaling back its ambitious plan to build a 100-mile-long megacity in the desert after realizing it was much more difficult to complete than they anticipated.

Originally envisioned to house a staggering 9 million people, The Line was supposed to be a major part of the kingdom’s $2 trillion redevelopment project and revolutionize urban living. However, after reassessing the project with sober eyes, Saudi Arabia has decided it can’t pull it off.

NEW: The End of the Line: the centrepiece of Saudi Arabia’s Neom gigaproject - a 500m tall, 170km long wall-like building intended ultimately to house 9 million people - can’t get out of the ground, say more than 20 former Neom architects, engineers and senior executives. pic.twitter.com/xtv9xv8J8F

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The updated plans now call for a city only a few miles long, built to accommodate around 300,000 residents, which is a far cry from what was originally promised. The project was an attempt by the kingdom to move its economy away from its dependence on foreign oil sales and shift it towards real estate. Now that The Line is being curbed, Saudi Arabia plans to use its funds for building out its AI infrastructure.

Of course they are!