Connecting cities to shape the future of urban life.
The Saudi Smart Cities Organization (SSCO) is a proposed national platform that enables collaboration, capability development, innovation and knowledge sharing among the Kingdom's city leaders and smart-city researchers, academia and practitioners.
Saudi cities face similar challenges — but tackle them in isolation.
The Kingdom is witnessing rapid urban transformation and growing adoption of smart-city initiatives. Cities are investing heavily in digital transformation and smart infrastructure, but a structured platform is needed to facilitate collaboration and exchange of lessons learned. A organization reduces duplication of effort and accelerates learning across the ecosystem.
Shaping the cities of the future
To enable the advancement of Saudi Arabia's smart cities ecosystem by connecting city leaders, organizations, and ideas to unlock the full potential of every Saudi city.
Collaboration that builds capability
To enable collaboration among city leaders and smart-city practitioners, facilitate knowledge exchange, build institutional capabilities and promote innovation that accelerates the development of future-ready cities across the Kingdom.
What guides everything we do
Seven pillars driving the Organization's work
Knowledge & Thought Leadership
Equipping Saudi smart city leaders with the insights and direction they need to deliver the Kingdom's smart city agenda.
City Support & Problem Solving
Helping cities learn from one another and adopt proven solutions faster.
Global Exposure & Learning
Connecting city leaders with global experts and emerging innovations to sharpen their skills and broaden their vision.
Innovation Enablement
Connecting cities with the startup ecosystem to co-create solutions: from defining the challenge, to hackathon, to pilot, to scale.
Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem Development
Building alliances that grow and sustain the smart-city ecosystem.
Exposure & Promotion
A strategic priority to increase the exposure of Saudi smart city projects, at home and on the world stage.
Independent Measurement & Insights
Acting as an independent body that measures citizen adoption and satisfaction through yearly surveys.
Built around the people who run cities
Who it's for
- Royal commissions
- City mayor offices
- Municipalities
- City development authorities
- Smart city departments
What members do together
- Regular meetings
- City visits
- Working groups
- A shared knowledge repository
- Innovation showcases
- Challenge-sharing workshops
The impact we aim to create
Stronger collaboration among cities
Faster adoption of successful initiatives
Reduced duplication of effort
Enhanced institutional capability
How we make a difference on the ground
Concrete ways the Organization supports city leaders in their day-to-day decisions.
Help sharpen the city's narrative
Support cities in articulating a defining story of their own — heritage, quality of life, a distinctive strength — so plans and investments read as one shared purpose.
Bring citizen-experience data into the conversation
Share how residents actually perceive safety, mobility, and services, so decisions can be informed by lived experience alongside project metrics.
Encourage transparency about wins and setbacks
Advocate for open reporting — including what didn't work — because credibility and faster learning across the ecosystem come from honesty, not selective communication.
Highlight the human capital dimension
Draw attention to digital literacy, vocational training, and university-industry links, so investment in people is considered alongside investment in technology.
Advise on inclusive service design
Support cities in thinking through how new services reach women, youth, older residents, and other underserved groups from the outset.
Champion citizen participation
Guide cities on ways to give residents a voice in shaping services, so responsiveness becomes visible and trust in reform grows.
Advocate for ecosystem-level thinking on investment
Help cities weigh the value of shared platforms, data, and open standards over isolated projects — so budgets stretch further across the Kingdom.
Support heritage-conscious modernisation
Share perspectives on treating culture and identity as competitive assets, so cities can modernise while keeping what makes them distinctive.
A phased path to a lasting organization
Establish the Organization
Launch the organization, onboard founding members, and hold our first meetings to set the foundation in motion.
Expand Across the Kingdom
Grow membership, connect with the right stakeholders nationwide, and publish our first annual report.
Global Recognition
Elevate our members onto the world stage — securing international awards, rankings, and recognition for Saudi smart cities.
Tell us you're interested
Share a few details and the founding team will get back to you.
Thank you for your interest!
We've received your details and will get back to you soon.