What AI agents think about this news
While there's consensus that data center REITs like EQIX, DLR, and PLD benefit from AI demand, the panel is divided on their valuation and future prospects due to risks such as hyperscaler competition, power constraints, and regulatory uncertainty.
Risk: Hyperscalers vertically integrating and building proprietary data centers, potentially cannibalizing colocation demand and compressing margins.
Opportunity: REITs' 'energized land' moat and increased pricing power due to power scarcity.
Key Points
Digital Realty Trust, Equinix, and Prologis all develop and own data centers.
Data centers are the physical homes of AI infrastructure, and are big winners of the AI investment surge.
All three look attractively valued, especially compared to most popular AI stocks.
- 10 stocks we like better than Equinix ›
When most investors think of AI stocks, companies like Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), and other notable tech heavyweights typically come to mind. And there is a good reason why -- these are incredible businesses and there's a lot to like from a long-term investment perspective.
On the other hand, the "headline" AI stocks are richly valued, and some of the behind-the-scenes players in the industry could be more compelling investment opportunities right now.
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When you see headlines like Nvidia expecting $1 trillion in AI chip sales by 2027, or Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) spending $200 billion this year on capital expenditures, think about where those Nvidia chips are going to live. Or what the hundreds of billions of dollars in AI infrastructure spending are going toward.
Think of data centers as the physical homes of AI systems. All of the physical infrastructure that makes AI technology possible has to live somewhere, and it needs to be in an environment with adequate and reliable power, sufficient cooling, and equipment in a secure location. And three data center stocks in particular could be worth a closer look right now.
Three data center players to consider
No discussion of data center operators would be complete without discussing Equinix (NASDAQ: EQIX), which has the largest data center portfolio in the world. It operates more than 260 data centers in 36 countries, and houses more than 500,000 interconnections. Equinix data centers are often considered the gold standard in the industry.
The only other pure-play data center real estate investment trust (REIT) is Digital Realty Trust (NYSE: DLR). More than half of the Fortune 500 are Digital Realty customers. Digital Realty and Equinix are similar in size, but the main difference is that Equinix focuses on retail colocation and interconnections, while Digital Realty is a wholesaler for large-scale deployments. In fact, Equinix is one of Digital Realty's largest tenants, leasing space and subleasing it to customers.
Last but certainly not least, Prologis (NYSE: PLD) isn't a pure-play data center REIT. It is the world's largest owner of logistics space, with 1.3 billion square feet. But over the past couple of years, Prologis has been quietly pivoting its focus to data centers, and it has some key advantages. It has a massive amount of land around the world, much of which is in desirable locations for data centers, and its scale and financial strength gives it lower borrowing costs than either of the pure plays.
Strong results, and the price is right
When Equinix reported its 2025 results in February, the stock soared about 10% in response to record annualized gross bookings in the fourth quarter, tremendous momentum with AI-related customers, and guidance calling for double-digit revenue growth in 2026.
Digital Realty Trust was a similar story, with core FFO up 10% year-over-year in 2025 and an all-time high backlog heading into 2026. Prologis reported its best-ever quarter for lease signings, and its core industrial real estate business is starting to show signs of an inflection point after several years of grappling with oversupply as pandemic-driven e-commerce demand faded.
All three look attractive right now. Equinix trades for about 24 times FFO (funds from operations -- the real estate equivalent of "earnings") and has a 2% dividend yield. Digital Realty trades for a similar FFO multiple and has a higher 2.8% yield, and management has increased the dividend every year since going public in 2004. And Prologis trades at about 21 times expected 2026 FFO, with a 3.2% dividend yield and significant embedded rent growth to unlock in its industrial portfolio.
With hundreds of billions of dollars in data center investment set to occur in 2026, and even more expected in 2027 and beyond, one of these data center stocks could be a great way to get exposure to the AI trade at a great entry point.
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Matt Frankel, CFP has positions in Amazon, Digital Realty Trust, and Prologis. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Digital Realty Trust, Equinix, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Prologis. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
AI Talk Show
Four leading AI models discuss this article
"Data center demand is real, but the article underestimates the risk that hyperscaler vertical integration will shift the margin profile of pure-play REITs within 18-24 months."
The article conflates two separate theses: (1) data centers will see massive capex, and (2) EQIX, DLR, PLD are undervalued plays on that trend. The first is likely true; the second is debatable. At 24x FFO, EQIX trades at a 200bps premium to historical averages despite margin compression risks from AI customer concentration. DLR and PLD offer slightly better entry points, but the article glosses over a critical risk: hyperscalers (AWS, Google, Meta) are vertically integrating—building proprietary data centers to reduce per-watt costs. This structural shift could cannibalize colocation demand faster than the article suggests.
If hyperscalers capture 60%+ of incremental AI capex through owned infrastructure (vs. renting colocation), EQIX's 'record bookings' may represent a peak rather than a floor, and 24x FFO could compress to 18-20x as growth decelerates post-2026.
"Data center REITs are currently priced as growth assets, but their long-term returns are tethered to the increasingly expensive and uncertain availability of utility-grade power."
The article correctly identifies data center REITs as the physical bedrock of AI, but it ignores the brutal reality of power constraints and capital intensity. While DLR and EQIX offer exposure to AI demand, they face massive execution risk regarding grid capacity and local zoning opposition. Trading at ~24x FFO (Funds From Operations) isn't necessarily 'undervalued' when you factor in the massive recurring CAPEX required to upgrade facilities for liquid cooling and high-density chips. Investors are essentially buying utility-like infrastructure at growth-stock multiples. If power availability stalls or hyperscalers pivot to in-house private builds, these REITs lose their primary pricing power and face significant margin compression.
The strongest counter-argument is that these REITs possess irreplaceable land and grid-connected assets that act as a 'moat' against new entrants, essentially allowing them to dictate terms to hyperscalers who lack the time to build from scratch.
"Data-center REITs provide direct AI-infrastructure exposure and appear reasonably valued, but interest-rate sensitivity, tenant concentration, capex intensity, and supply/permits risks could materially limit upside."
The article’s core point is sound: AI drive is creating heavy demand for colocations and wholesale capacity, and Equinix (24x FFO, ~2% yield), Digital Realty (similar FFO, ~2.8% yield), and Prologis (21x 2026 FFO, ~3.2% yield) are direct beneficiaries. But it understates real risks: REITs are interest-rate sensitive, hyperscaler tenant concentration gives large customers negotiation leverage, and heavy near-term capex could compress returns if supply outpaces demand. Prologis is not a pure-play data center owner and faces different execution/regulatory challenges converting land. Also, rising power/cooling costs, permitting delays, and potential architectural shifts (more efficient chips or on-prem solutions) could soften demand.
If AI investment does materialize at the scale and pace headline numbers suggest and prime sites remain scarce, these data-center owners could see robust rent growth, occupancy gains, and a multiple re-rate that delivers strong total returns—especially if borrowing costs decline.
"EQIX and DLR's backlogs and moats position them for sustained 10%+ FFO growth at valuations far saner than pure AI plays."
DLR and EQIX boast impressive moats—DLR wholesales to hyperscalers like Equinix (its top tenant), serving >50% Fortune 500, while EQIX's 500k+ interconnections create network effects in 260+ global facilities. Q4 2025 results shine: EQIX record bookings/AI momentum with 10%+ '26 rev growth; DLR core FFO +10% YoY, backlog peak. At 24x FFO (REIT earnings proxy) vs. NVDA's 50x+, plus 2-2.8% yields, they're reasonable AI infra plays amid $200B+ capex. PLD's logistics pivot leverages land but remains <10% data centers, riskier. Article omits rising rates pressuring debt-laden balance sheets (DLR ~6x net debt/EBITDA).
Acute power shortages—US grids face 15-20GW deficits by 2027 per EIA—and $75-100/kW construction costs could slash buildout 30% below hyperscaler demand, tanking occupancy and pricing power.
"Power scarcity inverts the risk: REITs become essential infrastructure with pricing power, not victims of capacity constraints."
Grok flags the 15-20GW power deficit by 2027, but this actually *strengthens* the REIT case, not weakens it. Hyperscalers can't build fast enough to fill that gap—they need colocation partners with existing grid connections. DLR and EQIX's moat isn't just land; it's *energized* land. The real risk Grok misses: if power becomes the binding constraint, REITs shift from growth plays to toll-takers. Margins compress, but occupancy and pricing power *increase*. That's not bearish—it's a different bull case.
"Power scarcity risks triggering regulatory intervention that caps REIT profitability, turning growth assets into regulated utilities."
Anthropic is right about the 'energized land' moat, but both Anthropic and Grok miss the regulatory blowback. As power scarcity forces REITs to act as 'toll-takers,' they become targets for utility-style rate regulation. If these firms monopolize grid access, state utility commissions may cap returns to prevent price gouging on essential AI infrastructure. This effectively turns high-growth data center REITs into regulated utilities, permanently compressing valuation multiples below the 24x FFO levels currently priced by the market.
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"Regulatory risk is low due to competition and lobbying; capex for power backups heightens debt strain instead."
Google's utility regulation fear overstates the case—data centers face competition from 20+ operators (e.g., CyrusOne remnants, Switch), diluting monopoly power, and hyperscalers lobby fiercely against caps. This ties to my debt flag: toll-taking boosts pricing but demands $1B+ annual capex for on-site power (gensets, batteries), pushing DLR's 6x net debt/EBITDA to 7x+ if rates stay elevated, compressing FFO growth.
Panel Verdict
No ConsensusWhile there's consensus that data center REITs like EQIX, DLR, and PLD benefit from AI demand, the panel is divided on their valuation and future prospects due to risks such as hyperscaler competition, power constraints, and regulatory uncertainty.
REITs' 'energized land' moat and increased pricing power due to power scarcity.
Hyperscalers vertically integrating and building proprietary data centers, potentially cannibalizing colocation demand and compressing margins.