Diversify your portfolio and enhance potential for risk-adjusted returns by accessing an exciting sector experiencing unprecedented growth as a result of digital transformation and global demand for data.
Experience: We have been investing in the sector since 2007 and have built strong relationships with key partners over this period.
Knowledge: We have witnessed the asset class evolve and adapt, and our investment approach is focused on an understanding of where the most compelling opportunities exist in our markets.
Exposure: With investment teams in both the U.S. and Europe, we have a rounded view of the market and share our in-depth local market knowledge across the teams.
Varied strategies: Build-and-lease to core strategy; Value-add acquisition of existing data centers; Development on a ready-to-fit or turnkey basis.
Sustainability: Understanding of the unique development, operational, maintenance, security, and energy requirements specific to data centers, and long-term experience in responsible property investing.
Access diversification of your portfolio by investing in a rapidly growing sector driven by rising global data demand.
Sebastian Dooley, CFA, Senior Fund Manager, Real Estate
Demand for cloud computing and AI are making data center investments more relevant for portfolio allocations.
Resiliency and inflation protection: With growth and defensive attributes, the data center industry tends to be less vulnerable to short-term economic cycles.
Strong risk/return profile: Long leases provide cash flow from high-quality credit tenants at higher yields than most property types; Resilient occupier market
Diversification: Low correlations to traditional assets and other real estate property types.
Continued demand: The essential role of data is a secular trend that will accelerate, making data centres increasingly important in a diversified portfolio.
These current views, opinions, and conclusions are subject to change. The conclusions of resiliency of the data center industry, low correlations and the positive cash income produced from data center properties are based on four years of income returns, lower average standard deviation and correlation as compared to other commercial real estate property types over the last 16 quarters ending 3Q 2025. Source: NPI and Principal Real Estate. There is no guarantee that such opportunities with the data center asset class will continue, and reliance upon this information is at the sole discretion of the reader.
Data consumption
Data center demand
Limited supply/low vacancy
Our experienced investment teams provide comprehensive, specialized, and sustainable capabilities across all four quadrants of commercial real estate—public equity, private equity, public debt, and private debt—and more recently, infrastructure investing. Whatever real estate strategy or combination of strategies you believe is right for your objectives, we can help.
No information
Footnotes
Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investment guidelines are subject to change.
Potential investors should be aware of the risks inherent to owning and investing in real estate, including value fluctuations, capital market pricing volatility, liquidity risks, leverage, credit risk, occupancy risk and legal risk. All these risks can lead to a decline in the value of real estate, a decline in the income produced by real estate and declines in the value or total loss in value of securities derived from investments in real estate. Data center investment risks include power constraints and rising costs, technological obsolescence, potential overbuilding, regulatory hurdles, supply chain vulnerabilities, physical and cyber security threats, and increased competition. Data center properties will only be attractive to a unique type of tenant. Additionally, a property designed to be a data center property may be difficult to relet to another type of tenant or convert to another use and will be more likely to become functionally obsolete when compared to other properties.
Principal Real Estate is a trade name of Principal Real Estate Investors, LLC, an affiliate of Principal Global Investors.