Saudi Vision 2030 adds sustainability to the agenda as it pushes to expand urban development by including prolonged asset lifecycle, lower utility bills, and infrastructure to promote physical activity.
Shedding light on the role of sustainable building design in Saudi Arabia’s booming urban landscape, US Green Building Council Faculty Regional Manager, Mohammed S. Al-Surf, said: “Applying these building methods to residential projects is a win-win case where all stakeholders benefit from the economic, environmental and social pillars of sustainability; owners benefit by reducing the cost of running the building, the occupants will feel healthier, and the community will benefit from engaging together.”
Al-Surf will further explore the KSA Green Building movement at The Big 5 Saudi show next month at the Jeddah Center for Forums & Events; the event will run from March 5-8.
The show will offer 54 free talks on general construction, project management, sustainability, and architecture and design.
Omar Al-Touqi, senior civil engineer at the University of Jeddah, and a speaker on Vision 2030’s environmental dimensions at The Big 5 Saudi, pointed out initial cost as a current challenge with the green concept.
“Cost is particularly a challenge when choosing the right material and resources; however, we should understand the value of buildings which truly consider standards like Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Sustainable buildings will be highly valued with capital appreciation and gradual reduction of cost at the end.”
CEO and partner of ENTEC Environmental Technology, Dina Al-Nahd, said: “The private sector is now aware of the need to build this way — they know that in this millennium you have to consider the sustainable concept; that’s energy efficiency, water efficiency and reuse, and solid waste management.”
She revealed the top mega projects considering sustainable building design in Saudi Arabia today: The Red Sea tourism project, NEOM in Tabuk, and Qidiya — Saudi’s largest entertainment city.
“Vision 2030 targets the contribution to GDP of real estate alone to grow from five percent to 10 percent by the deadline; in response there are over 3,300 urban projects underway, representing 70 percent of all Saudi construction. There are an incredible 4,700 construction projects active in the Kingdom today,” said Roni El-Haddad, event director for The Big 5 Saudi.
Saudi Vision 2030 calls for urban development that will last
Saudi Vision 2030 calls for urban development that will last
SAS digital twins transform manufacturing
SAS is poised to help transform critical processes in the manufacturing industry with enhanced digital twins that combine SAS’ powerful AI and advanced analytics with Unreal Engine from Epic Games.
With these digital twins, manufacturers like Georgia-Pacific can experiment with new strategies in simulated digital worlds, then take the best approaches and implement them in the real world.
One of the world’s leading manufacturers of paper and wood-based building products, GP is piloting these enhanced digital twins at its Savannah River Mill, which manufactures napkins, paper towels and toilet tissue.
GP is leveraging SAS’ technology to optimize its use of automated guided vehicles and other processes.
New digital health platform for pilgrims
Healthtrip, the world’s largest health travel platform, has launched Healinharam.com, a dedicated digital platform that connects international tourists, particularly pilgrims, to a trusted network of medical, wellness, and chronic care services across Makkah, Madinah, and Jeddah.
The initiative directly supports Saudi Arabia’s broader ambition to establish itself as a global hub for medical and wellness tourism, in line with Vision 2030.
It also responds to increasing demand for high-quality care services during pilgrimage as the Kingdom continues to rapidly scale its healthcare infrastructure and wellness offerings.
Through Healinharam.com, pilgrims can now book health screenings, wellness therapies, and essential treatments such as dialysis, chemotherapy, and others, at leading Saudi hospitals.
Najm showcases traffic accident response system
Abdullah Al-Khalaf, acting CEO of Najm for Insurance Services, announced that the company has developed an integrated digital system for its traffic accident inspection service.
This development contributes to improving the efficiency and speed of handling and responding to traffic accidents, ensuring the safety of road users, reducing traffic congestion, and supporting environmental sustainability.
This announcement came during Najm’s participation in a workshop organized by Naif Arab University for Security Sciences, titled “Mechanisms for Dealing with Road Accident Offenders Under the Influence of Drugs.”
The event was held on May 28–29, with the participation of Arab and international experts specializing in security and safety.
Al-Khalaf emphasized Najm’s role in supporting the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 through the development of a smart, digital insurance sector.
XYZVerse warns against ongoing phishing scams targeting community
The XYZVerse team has alerted its community to an increase in phishing scams and impersonation attempts by malicious actors posing as official representatives. The warning has been posted on XYZVerse’s official X account. These scammers are distributing fraudulent links, attempting to deceive users into revealing sensitive wallet information or transferring funds under false pretenses.
The rise in scam activity comes as XYZVerse gains momentum within the Web3 and meme coin space. With a growing community, rising visibility, and ongoing project development, the platform has become a target for opportunistic attackers seeking to exploit its success.
To maintain transparency and security, XYZVerse has undergone independent security audits conducted by Pessimistic and SolidProof, two established firms in the Web3 security space. These audits are designed to assess and validate the integrity of the project’s smart contracts, helping to identify potential vulnerabilities before malicious actors can exploit them.
The project’s official Polygon-based token address is publicly available on the XYZVerse website, and XYZ tokens are only available for purchase through the official website: xyzverse.io.
Warning signs of a scam:
- Messages from fake “XYZVerse Support” or team members
- Suspicious links promising exclusive airdrops or claiming token sale updates
- Requests for wallet access, seed phrases, or private keys
Fake communication often mimics the tone and branding of the project’s official channels. These attempts have included messages from unaffiliated Telegram or social media accounts, links to counterfeit airdrops, and websites mimicking the xyzverse.io domain. No legitimate communication will request wallet credentials, seed phrases, or private access information.
XYZVerse is actively monitoring the situation in coordination with its security partners and will continue taking steps to minimize exposure to fraudulent activity. Updates will be shared through established and verified communication channels.
Lean strengthens its global footprint with scientific achievements, strategic partnerships
Lean Business Services — the Kingdom’s foremost developer of digital-health solutions and a Public Investment Fund portfolio company— continues to consolidate its leadership in the digital-health sector at both national and international levels.
At ISPOR 2025 in Montréal, Canada, the company’s research team presented three peer-reviewed studies grounded in advanced analytics and extensive national datasets before embarking on an official visit to South Korea to explore collaborations in health technology and research.
The first study introduced an integrated economic model that assesses the cost-effectiveness of Type 2 diabetes-prevention programs over a 10-year horizon, capturing both direct and indirect costs from the first-year diagnosis through long-term complications.
A second paper provided a comprehensive assessment to date of Saudi Arabia’s chronic disease burden, leveraging records from more than 33 million individuals and sophisticated statistical models to inform resource allocation and healthcare planning.
The third study delivered a five-year review of more than 2 million psychotropic prescriptions, pinpointing opportunities to refine prescribing practices, particularly for older adults, relative to other chronic-medication regimens.
To broaden its international collaboration, a Lean delegation traveled to South Korea, where it joined the Saudi–Korean Business & Investment Forum, met leading health-tech institutions, and examined best practices at Seoul National University Hospital.
Discussions focused on artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and population data analytics.
Engineer Mohannad Al-Rasheed, Lean’s chief executive officer, expressed pride in representing the Kingdom on these global stages.
“Lean is committed to building knowledge partnerships that elevate Saudi Arabia as an advanced hub for digital health,” he said. “Our active participation in specialized international gatherings reflects the maturity of the Saudi health sector and its ability to export both expertise and solutions.”
Driven by the conviction that data-powered innovation is key to a more efficient and inclusive healthcare future, Lean will continue to invest in research and cross-border collaboration, supporting Vision 2030’s goal of a cutting-edge, sustainable digital-health ecosystem for the Kingdom.
