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Digital Realty sets $27M/MW benchmark for AI data centers

Reported by Cryptobriefing
Jun 30, 2026· 3 min read
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Key Takeaways
  • • Digital Realty has established a $27M/MW benchmark pricing model for AI data center capacity, signaling market rates for premium AI infrastructure in the competitive data center sector.
  • • The company reported that 30% of megawatts signed during the quarter were AI-related, demonstrating accelerating demand for specialized AI compute infrastructure across its global portfolio.
  • • Digital Realty targets nearly S$7 billion (approximately $5.2 billion USD) in investment to strengthen its position as a regional AI infrastructure anchor in Singapore and Asia-Pacific markets.
  • • JPMorgan Chase upgraded Digital Realty Trust to "Outperform" from "Neutral," citing AI demand as a multi-decade structural driver of data center utilization and REIT fundamentals.
  • • Digital Realty's customer base includes half of Fortune 500 companies, providing significant diversification across enterprise, cloud, and emerging AI workload segments; the company launched ServiceFabric® MCP in June 2026, bringing AI-native programmable control across 800+ data centers globally.
Summary
Digital Realty Trust has emerged as a primary beneficiary of accelerating artificial intelligence infrastructure demand, with the company establishing a $27M/MW pricing benchmark for AI-specialized data center capacity. This rate reflects the premium valuations commanded by facilities optimized for high-density compute, power density, and cooling requirements specific to large language model training and inference workloads. According to CEO Andrew Power, approximately 30% of megawatts contracted during the most recent quarter were AI-related, up significantly from historical baseline penetration and indicating structural market shifts toward AI infrastructure investment.

The company is backing its growth thesis with substantial capital commitments. Digital Realty announced a target of nearly S$7 billion in investment (approximately $5.2 billion USD equivalent) dedicated to strengthening its regional footprint, with explicit focus on positioning Singapore as an AI infrastructure anchor for Asia-Pacific markets. This regional expansion strategy reflects broader recognition that geopolitical and regulatory considerations are driving distributed AI infrastructure deployment beyond traditional hyperscale data center hubs in North America and Europe.

JPMorgan Chase's upgrade of Digital Realty Trust to "Outperform" from "Neutral" reinforces institutional conviction in the company's growth trajectory. Analyst commentary identified AI and cloud demand as multi-decade drivers of data center utilization, suggesting the current cycle represents early-stage infrastructure buildout rather than cyclical demand. Digital Realty's diversified customer base—including half of Fortune 500 companies—provides revenue resilience across enterprise, cloud service provider, and emerging AI segments.

Recent product launches underscore Digital Realty's positioning as a platform operator rather than passive facility provider. In June 2026, the company launched ServiceFabric® MCP, a programmable control platform delivering AI-native management capabilities across its 800+ data center locations globally. This infrastructure software layer enables customers to optimize workload placement, power allocation, and interconnection routing across distributed assets, creating switching costs and recurring revenue streams beyond traditional colocation fees.

The combination of premium pricing power ($27M/MW), accelerating AI contract penetration (30% of new capacity), substantial regional capital deployment, and enhanced platform capabilities positions Digital Realty as a structural beneficiary of the long-cycle AI infrastructure investment cycle, with institutional equity research reflecting confidence in multi-year revenue and cash flow growth acceleration.

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Cryptobriefing Digital Realty sets $27M/MW benchmark for AI data centers