When compute demand explodes, data-center real estate becomes a toll road. The companies that own, operate, and lease these facilities can benefit from:
-
Long-term contracts with high-quality tenants (often hyperscalers).
-
Pricing power as capacity tightens.
-
Built-in growth as customers expand footprints.
-
Dividend income along the way.
With that backdrop, here are three interesting ways to invest in the AI data-center boom while earning yield.
Company: Digital Realty Trust (SYM: DLR)
Digital Realty is one of the largest dedicated data-center REITs on Earth. It operates hundreds of facilities across North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America, and it’s deeply embedded with the very customers fueling AI growth.
In plain English: when hyperscalers need more space, more power, and more interconnection capacity, Digital Realty is already sitting in the middle of the deal flow.
Financially, the company continues to show strong momentum. In its latest reporting, Digital Realty posted core FFO per share around $1.84–$1.89, with revenue growth driven by new bookings and expanding AI-oriented deployments. Management also raised full-year FFO guidance again, reflecting confidence that demand remains robust into 2026.
Why that matters: FFO growth is the engine behind dividend growth. And DLR’s dividend yield (around the low-to-mid 3% range recently) gives investors a real cash return while they wait for the AI buildout to compound.
Bottom line: Digital Realty offers direct, high-quality exposure to the AI infrastructure boom, with scale, global reach, and a dividend.
Banyan Hill
On December 18th, a powerful new law signed by President Trump
will trigger a radical shift in America’s money system...
When a small group of private companies — not the Fed — will perform a major mint of a new kind of money.
And those who act before this new system fully kicks in could see gains as high as 40X by 2032.
But those who fail to prepare will be blindsided by this sea change to the U.S. dollar.
Go here now for the details — before the December 18th mint hits the market.
Company: Iron Mountain (SYM: IRM)
Most investors still think of Iron Mountain as “that document storage company.” But over the last several years, IRM has quietly built a fast-growing data-center business — and AI has poured gasoline on it.
Iron Mountain’s latest quarter showed record revenue (about $1.8B, up ~12% year over year) and strong cash-flow growth. But the standout detail was data centers: IRM reported roughly 33% growth in its data-center revenue line, and reiterated expectations for 25%+ growth in 2026.
That’s not a side hustle anymore. It’s becoming a core driver.
Iron Mountain also raised its dividend recently, supported by rising adjusted funds from operations (AFFO). With a yield in the neighborhood of 4%, IRM sits on the higher-income end of the data-center theme.
Why IRM is interesting here is the “two-engine” model: you get a mature, cash-generating storage business plus a high-growth AI data-center platform. If AI demand stays hot — and the hyperscalers are clearly signaling it will — IRM’s growth engine could keep surprising to the upside.
Bottom line: Iron Mountain blends AI data-center growth with an above-market dividend yield.
ETF: Pacer Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF (SYM: SRVR)
If you don’t want to pick single names, SRVR is a clean “basket” way to play the trend.
The ETF targets companies that generate a meaningful share of revenues from real estate tied to data, digital infrastructure, and communications. Holdings include many of the biggest beneficiaries of AI-driven compute demand, such as Digital Realty, Equinix, Iron Mountain, American Tower, and Crown Castle.
SRVR charges an expense ratio around 0.49% and offers a yield in the low-to-mid 2% range, depending on market price and distribution timing.
You’re not getting the same “pure play” punch of owning one standout REIT, but you are getting diversification across the ecosystem: data centers, towers, fiber, and related digital real estate. That can be especially useful in a theme that’s growing quickly but still subject to interest-rate moves and periodic valuation swings.
Bottom line: SRVR provides diversified exposure to AI-fueled digital infrastructure with a steady distribution.
Crypto 101
Crypto's Elite Speak Out
The whispers in crypto's inner circles are getting louder.
Something massive is brewing in the market, with Bitcoin shattering records and Trump's pro-crypto agenda accelerating adoption…
Something that could make the 2021 bull run look like a warmup.
That's why 27 of crypto's most successful insiders are breaking their silence in an unprecedented emergency summit.
We're talking about the architects of Solana and THORChain. The co-creator of Tether. Fund managers who've generated billions. Traders who have called virtually every major move of the last decade.
For the first time ever, they're pulling back the curtain on where they're putting their own money right now. Which coins they believe could explode. What moves they're making before the masses catch on.
This is the kind of intelligence that usually stays behind closed doors.
But for a very limited time, you can claim your spot for FREE.
Claim your free ticket for the “Crypto Community Summit 2025” (available for a limited time).
