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Special Report
3 REITs to Watch as AI Data Center Spending Surpasses Office ConstructionAuthor: Jessica Mitacek. First Published: 5/7/2026. 
Key Points
- For the first time ever, spending on data center construction ($45 billion) has surpassed spending on office buildings ($44 billion), driven by the massive infrastructure demands of artificial intelligence.
- The global data center market is expected to more than double in value by 2033, growing from $384 billion to over $902 billion at a compound annual growth rate of 11.3%.
- Investors can gain exposure to this trend through three major Real Estate Investment Trusts—Iron Mountain, Digital Realty, and Equinix—which offer a combination of significant year-to-date stock gains and consistent dividend yields.
- Special Report: Elon’s “Hidden” Company
The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has created abundant market opportunities. From NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) to Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU), AI stocks have shown an ability to not just outperform the market, but to do so by a wide margin.
While the performance of pure-play AI stocks and record Magnificent Seven capex allocations have offered a glimpse into this megatrend, one remarkable development shows just how influential AI growth has become. AI-driven growth in data center construction has pushed spending to a level that now exceeds total office building construction. That creates a unique opportunity for income investors seeking both yield and AI exposure—something each of the following three real estate investment trusts (REITs) offers. Data Center Spending Surges as Office Construction LagsDriven by AI and cloud computing demand, data center construction reached a record annualized pace of $45 billion in December 2025. For the first time ever, that figure exceeded private office construction, which slipped to $44 billion. Although this milestone took years to develop, demand for data centers is unlikely to slow. Industry consultancy Grand View Research forecasts the global data center market—estimated at $383.82 billion in 2025—to reach $902.19 billion by 2033, implying a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.3% from 2026 to 2033. The North America data center segment alone, which accounts for more than 38% of the global total addressable market, is projected to grow at a CAGR of 10.5% over the forecast period. By comparison, the office building construction market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.5% through 2033, suggesting this gap may only widen. A Mountain of Potential From a Legacy Data ManagerFounded in 1951, Iron Mountain (NYSE: IRM) converted to a REIT in 2014. As it expanded from a legacy records management company to a colocation data center operator, the 75-year-old company has amassed 240,000 customers across 61 countries, including 95% of Fortune 1000 members. The REIT continues to help organizations unlock value through services such as information management, digital transformation, information security, and data center and asset lifecycle management. While REITs are known for generating income, Iron Mountain is a prime example of how a data center REIT can offer both strong dividends and growth. Over the past month, shares have gained nearly 28%, contributing to a year-to-date (YTD) gain of more than 60%. Meanwhile, the trust’s dividend currently yields 2.67%, or $3.46 per share annually, with a five-year annualized growth rate of 5.45%. Big Tech’s Big Data Center PartnerDigital Realty Trust (NYSE: DLR) is a REIT that owns, acquires, and operates carrier-neutral data centers and provides colocation and interconnection services. Its focus is on large-scale, mission-critical facilities that support the physical infrastructure needs of cloud providers, enterprises, network operators, and content companies. That focus has led to partnerships with some of the largest technology companies, including NVIDIA, Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL), and Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD). Digital Realty has become synonymous with wholesale data center space, turnkey facilities, and retail colocation suites. The REIT hosts NVIDIA’s AI Factory Research Center in Northern Virginia and has partnered with Advanced Micro Devices on the Digital Realty Data Center Innovation Lab—an AI sandbox, or “hands-on facility where partners, enterprises, and customers can test and prove AI deployments in a real colocation environment,” according to the company. Shares of DLR have seen a YTD gain of more than 29%, and its dividend currently yields 2.5%, or $4.88 per share annually. The World’s Largest Data Center REITWith a market cap of nearly $108 billion, Equinix (NASDAQ: EQIX) is the world’s largest data center REIT. After converting to a trust on Jan. 1, 2015, it provides digital infrastructure and interconnection services while specializing in carrier-neutral data centers and colocation. Like Digital Realty, Equinix operates a platform that enables enterprises, cloud and network service providers, and content companies to colocate IT infrastructure, interconnect directly with partners and providers, and access cloud on-ramps and network services in a secure, low-latency environment. Today, the REIT boasts more than 280 data center locations on six continents. Its operations serve customers ranging from large multinational enterprises to cloud providers and telecommunications operators. Equinix emphasizes interconnection density and ecosystem partnerships as key differentiators in enabling digital transformation and low-latency connectivity. Shares of EQIX are up more than 43% this year, and the REIT’s dividend currently yields 1.92%, or $20.64 per share annually. That yield may be lower than the other two REITs on this list, but Equinix has increased its distribution for 10 consecutive years, while its five-year annualized growth rate of 12.01% surpasses both Iron Mountain and Digital Realty. |
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