December 13, 2025.
A joint venture between Plenty (U.S.), Sky Greens (Singapore), and a Saudi sovereign fund breaks ground on “Tower One” in Riyadh — the world’s first 100-story vertical farm.
Footprint: 0.8 hectares (size of a city block).
Projected output: 42,000 tons of leafy greens, berries, and tomatoes per year — equivalent to 4,200 hectares of traditional farmland.
Energy: rooftop solar + building-integrated batteries.
Water: 98 % recycled, atmospheric capture for the rest.
Cost per kg at scale: $0.42 (down from $1.80 in 2024 pilots).
The same week, AeroFarms announces a 82-story tower in Newark.
80 Acres Farms in Ohio starts a 68-story facility.
AppHarvest (revived) plans 92 stories in Kentucky.
The vertical farming explosion has begun.
Food production is moving indoors — and the old fields are already feeling the shadow.
The vertical farm boom – announced towers, December 2025
| Project / Location | Height (stories) | Footprint (hectares) | Annual output (tons) | Cost per kg target (2028) | Partners / Funding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tower One (Riyadh) | 100 | 0.8 | 42,000 | $0.42 | Plenty + Saudi PIF ($4.2B) |
| AeroFarms Newark | 82 | 0.6 | 28,000 | $0.48 | AeroFarms + Prudential ($2.8B) |
| 80 Acres Ohio | 68 | 0.5 | 22,000 | $0.51 | 80 Acres + OCP Group |
| AppHarvest Kentucky | 92 | 0.9 | 38,000 | $0.45 | AppHarvest revival + Equilibrium |
| Sky Greens Singapore Exp | 120 | 1.2 | 52,000 | $0.38 | Singapore gov + Temasek |
Total announced capacity by 2028: 420,000 tons/year from towers alone — equivalent to the vegetable output of a mid-sized country.
The cost and efficiency drivers – 2025 breakthroughs
| Factor | 2024 baseline | 2025 achievement | 2028 projection | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LED efficiency (µmol/J) | 3.2 | 5.8 | 8.2 | Energy cost down 68 % |
| AI optimization (yield) | +28 % | +62 % | +110 % | Output per m² doubled |
| Water recycling | 92 % | 98 % | 99.8 % | Near-zero external input |
| Labor (human hours/ton) | 42 | 8 | 2 | Robots + AI handling 94 % |
| Cost per kg (leafy greens) | $1.80 | $0.92 | $0.42 | Below outdoor in many climates |
The market signals – December 2025
- Plenty valuation: $18 billion (up from $4B)
- Vertical farm ETF launches: +380 % first week
- Traditional ag land values: California Central Valley down 28 % YoY
- Grocery chains: Walmart, Carrefour announce “tower-sourced” produce lines
The silence is the tell
No farmer protests.
No “save the soil” campaigns.
No government subsidies for outdoor ag.
There are only quiet moves:
- John Deere pivots 42 % of R&D to indoor robotics
- Bayer Crop Science sells herbicide division, buys vertical lighting firm
- Saudi Arabia redirects $42 billion from desalination to vertical towers
- U.S. Farm Bill draft: “transition support” for outdoor farmers
The quiet quote from Plenty CEO, at Riyadh groundbreaking, December 2025
“We’re not competing with farmers.
We’re replacing weather.
Sunlight is free, but it’s unreliable.
Our light is perfect, 24/7.
In five years, outdoor vegetables will be the luxury item.
Grown in dirt, under the sun — for people who can afford the romance.”
By Christmas 2025, the first 100-story towers are rising.
Vertical farming is no longer niche.
It is the future of food — and the old fields are already on borrowed time.
Next post: “The Tower Race – 2026–2027: When the First 100-Story Farms Harvest and Outdoor Yields Start Collapsing.”
The towers are rising.
The fields are waiting.
The explosion is vertical.