the industrial zone is estimated to cover 63 km², of land will be dedicated to industrial and light manufacturing facilities—identified as key growth drivers for the saudi economy—and can now host 2,700 industrial tenants. the jobs created estimated to be in industrial and light industries (330,000); research and development (150,000); business and office (200,000); services (115,000); hospitality (60,000) and education and community services (145,000). the "plastics valley" planned within the zone will use raw materials readily available in saudi arabia to produce high-end plastics used in automotive, biomedical, construction and food packaging industries. as of april 2016, 127 companies signed contracts to build and operate factories in the city.