Jeddah Tower hits 80 floors: Burj Khalifa dethroned soon?

Jeddah Tower is surging ahead in a rapid construction push, blasting through construction like a rocket, nearing 80 in a blistering push aligned with Vision 2030.

This 1-km megatower, paused for years, restarted in January 2025 and now adds a floor every 3-4 days, eyeing a 2028 finish to claim the world's tallest crown from Dubai's Burj Khalifa, as per Newsweek.

Formerly known as Kingdom Tower, Jeddah Tower is but one of the two two skyscrapers en route to becoming "taller than Dubai's Burj Khalifa". 

Cranes work over Jeddah's skyline as Saudi Binladin Group, Dar Al-Handasah, and Turner Construction pour concrete via high-pressure pumps reaching new heights.

By August 2025, it hit 75 floors, with a number of cranes and "pumpcrete" accelerating the core — now at 50+% of concrete pour completed out of 157 floors.

While the project was initially stalled, due to controversy and the pandemic, the project's developer announced building works had recommenced. 

Expect retail podiums, dining, and events in a five-level base.

Kingdom Holding Co leads this symbol of ambition, tying into Saudi's diversification goals.

As new floors rise weekly at the Jeddah Tower, Saudi Arabia is set to redefine the world’s architectural horizons.

As of late 2025, Jeddah Tower is actively under construction.

The foundation is a massive hybrid piled raft system, featuring a 5-metre thick concrete pad over 7,500 sqm, anchored by 270 deep bored piles extending up to 110 metres into limestone and coral rock, providing stability.

By comparison, the Burj Khalifa's foundation is also a massive pile-supported raft, featuring a 3.7 metre concrete "mat" resting on 192 bored piles, each 1.5m in diameter and extending around 50 metres deep into the ground to anchor the skyscraper, as per Civil Engineering. 

With Jeddah Tower construction having resumed in early 2025, significant progress has been reported.

The Kingdom isn't stopping at one: paired with another super-tall project, it's remaking the desert skyline.

A more interesting tower project: The Rise Tower in Riyadh.

It remains in the planning/design phase, and aims to be the world's first 2km-tall skyscraper, with contractor bidding underway after design finalisation in 2023-2024, showing Saudi Arabia's ambition for futuristic "supertall" structures. 

Global eyes watch as engineers defy physics for Saudi's bold future, with these two supertall buildings.​

Jeddah Tower (Jeddah)

Rise Tower (Riyadh)