Digital Realty to Buy Columbia Capital in $485 Million Mixed Deal
The acquisition accelerates Digital Realty's private-capital platform and deepens its reach into adjacent digital infrastructure sectors as AI demand surges.
Digital Realty Trust (DLR) agreed to acquire Columbia Capital for approximately $485 million in a mixed cash-and-stock transaction, the company announced. The deal is expected to close in the second half of 2026.
The acquisition is structured to accelerate Digital Realty's Strategic Private Capital platform while providing increased expertise and visibility into adjacent digital infrastructure sectors, the company said. The move is designed to strengthen Digital Realty's investment capabilities to capitalize on the expanding AI infrastructure ecosystem.
"Our history of collaboration with Columbia Capital reflects a shared long-term perspective while providing additional flexibility to support the scaling of both our hyperscale development pipeline and our private capital platform," said Andy Power, president and chief executive officer of Digital Realty.
The deal arrives amid a wave of consolidation linking digital infrastructure managers with power and AI-focused capital pools. SoftBank Group agreed in December 2025 to acquire DigitalBridge Group for approximately $4 billion to scale next-generation AI infrastructure. DigitalBridge subsequently struck a deal in May 2026 to acquire ArcLight Capital Partners for up to $1.05 billion, forming a combined platform at the convergence of power, AI, and digital infrastructure with more than $150 billion in represented assets. Blue Owl Capital's $1 billion acquisition of IPI Partners in late 2024 similarly underscored the premium investors place on specialized digital-infrastructure fund managers.
Digital Realty has been active on multiple fronts to expand capacity and geographic reach. The company recently closed on a 15-megawatt data center development in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, for approximately $117 million and acquired Telepoint, Sofia's leading connectivity hub, for €66.5 million. It also contributed an incremental 40 percent interest in five operating data centers to its DC Partners NA Fund, receiving approximately $427 million in proceeds.
The Columbia Capital transaction is subject to customary closing conditions. Digital Realty reported approximately $18.0 billion in total debt outstanding as of March 31, 2026, with net debt-to-Adjusted EBITDA at 4.7 times.