DLR vs SPG Comparison

Digital Realty owns and operates over 300 data centers worldwide. It has nearly 40 million rentable square feet across five continents. Digital's offerings range from retail co-location, where an enterprise may rent a single cabinet and rely on Digital to provide all the accommodations, to "cold shells," where hyperscale cloud service providers can simply rent much, or all, of a barren, power-connected building. In recent years, Digital Realty has de-emphasized cold shells and now primarily provides higher-level service to tenants, which outsource their related IT needs to Digital. The company operates as a real estate investment trust.

Simon Property Group is the second-largest real estate investment trust in the United States. Its portfolio includes an interest in 231 properties: 136 traditional malls, 70 premium outlets, 14 Mills centers (a combination of a traditional mall, outlet center, and big-box retailers), 6 lifestyle centers, and 5 other retail properties. Simon's portfolio averaged $743 in sales per square foot in 2023 compared with $693 in sales per square foot over the 12 months before the pandemic. The company also owns a 22% interest in Klépierre, a European retail company with investments in shopping centers in 14 countries, and joint-venture interests in 33 premium outlets across 11 countries.