Digital Realty DLR opened its first data center in Barcelona, BCN1, located in the Sant Adrià de Besòs area. This data center reflects the company’s commitment to support the development of the Mediterranean into a global digital infrastructure hub for next generation technologies such as AI and cloud computing. It also strengthens Barcelona’s position as an important interconnection point alongside Madrid, Marseille, Athens, Heraklion, Rome and Lisbon.
The new data center, planned to deliver 14 MW of total capacity, is built to interconnect with a wide array of network providers and is positioned near the intersection of major global connectivity routes. BCN1 facilitates low-latency connections between the Americas, Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Located in Barcelona, it complements Digital Realty’s existing Marseille campus, enhancing network diversity and resilience throughout the region.
BCN1 supports the digital transformation of Catalonia’s economy by joining Digital Realty’s existing data center offerings on the Iberian Peninsula. This includes the recently announced data center in Lisbon and four operating facilities in Madrid. Together, Barcelona, Madrid and Lisbon form the peninsula’s most interconnected regional platform, strengthening Digital Realty’s leading presence across EMEA.
The opening of BCN1 expands PlatformDIGITAL, Digital Realty’s global data-center platform, allowing both international and local companies to quickly scale AI deployments and meet data localization needs while maintaining sustainability. As a signatory of the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact, Digital Realty designed BCN1 to surpass industry energy-efficiency standards. It employs advanced power and cooling systems, procures renewable energy and uses backup generators powered by HVO100 — a renewable-origin biodiesel. This underscores its commitment to decarbonization across operations while meeting strong demand for AI-ready facilities.
With the growth in cloud computing, the Internet of Things and Big Data, along with increasing number of companies opting for third-party IT infrastructure, data-center REITs are experiencing a booming market. The company has a global presence, with 310 data centers in more than 55 metros with decent occupancy as of Dec. 31, 2025. The company is poised for growth, with more than 5,500 global customers.
In the past three months, shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have gained 7.3% compared with the industry's growth of 1.4%.
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Stocks to Consider
Some better-ranked stocks from the broader REIT sector are Gladstone Land LAND and American Tower AMT, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for LAND’s 2026 FFO per share is pinned at 45 cents. This indicates year-over-year growth of 15.37% for 2026.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AMT’s 2026 FFO per share is pegged at $10.95. This implies year-over-year growth of 1.77% for 2026.
Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents funds from operations (FFO), a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs.
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