News

Saudi Arabia Plans Huge Adventure Tourism Oil Rig Facility

THE RIG is located 40 km offshore, close to Al Juraid Island and the Berri Oil Field in the Arabian Gulf.

Published

3 years ago

January 19, 2024

Nour Nasir

saudi arabia plans huge adventure tourism oil rig facility

Public Investment Fund

Saudi Arabia has unveiled plans for a groundbreaking adventure tourism project known as THE RIG, which takes inspiration from offshore oil platforms, and is poised to become the world’s first adventure tourism hub. The development is led by the Oil Park Development Company (OPDC), and is set to revolutionize marine sports and global adventure tourism.

Aligned with the goals of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiative, THE RIG aims to strengthen the nation’s tourism sector, create job opportunities, attract investments, and diversify the economy. The expansive facility, covering an area of 300,000 square meters, is strategically positioned approximately 40 kilometers off the coastline, near Al Juraid Island and the Berri Oil Field in the Arabian Gulf.

the rig saudi arabia

Raed Bakhrji, CEO of OPDC, envisions THE RIG as a magnet for an estimated 900,000 visitors annually by the year 2032, drawing individuals from domestic, regional, and international backgrounds.

Also Read: Dubai Plans To Deploy Driverless Pods And Green Rail Buses

THE RIG will feature three hotels, collectively offering 800 rooms, along with 11 dining establishments, a marina, helipads, and an extreme sports and adventure park. The extensive array of water-based activities comprises a diving center, amusement park, splash park, eSports center, immersive theater, and a versatile arena, ensuring a multifaceted and exhilarating experience for all visitors.

News

Microsoft Plans $10 Billion-Plus Gulf Expansion Despite Iran Conflict

Security is shaping Microsoft’s approach, from resilience work with governments to what it will say about how the money splits by country.

Published

2 days ago

September 24, 2026

Nour Nasir

Microsoft

Microsoft is planning more than $10 billion of investment across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait through 2030, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith told Reuters, calling the spending schedule aggressive. The Iranian conflict that began on February 28 has not persuaded the company to scale back.

“We’re sustaining all the investments we planned to make before this conflict started, and we are in fact adding to them,” Smith said. The $10 billion-plus total does not, however, show how large those additions are.

The investment, which Smith described as part of Microsoft’s continued infrastructure expansion, is aimed at cloud and AI infrastructure and at the company’s growing regional operations. Microsoft also intends to put more than $400 million into subsea and terrestrial connectivity across the Middle East by 2030.

The spending fits the region’s own ambitions too. Gulf governments have been investing heavily in AI infrastructure as part of a push to diversify their economies beyond oil and gas and turn themselves into global technology hubs. Major cloud and AI providers have been drawn in part by the land and relatively low-cost energy on offer.

Microsoft is widening its partnerships with regional AI companies, though not on identical terms. In 2024, it invested $1.5 billion in Abu Dhabi-based G42 for a minority stake, and Smith currently sits on G42’s board. Saudi Arabia’s Humain and Qatar’s Qai are working with Microsoft on selected priority areas, but Smith said the company does not plan to make capital investments in either.

Also Read: Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power

The conflict has added another strand to Microsoft’s work in the region. Since it began, Smith said, the company has supported regional partners with digital resilience assessments, and it is now working with Gulf countries through a digital resilience initiative focused on preparedness and the protection of critical data.

So far, the company has given no country-by-country breakdown of the investment, citing security among other factors. So while the headline figure is public, how Microsoft divides the spending among the four countries is not.