RBC: To Monetize Data Centers, Investors are 'Ring-Fencing' Stabilized Assets

There is a greenfield development boom in the data center market, and the capital markets for digital infrastructure have rapidly evolved to keep up, drawing attention to risk factors of the many data centers already up and running, says the head of RBC Capital Market's influential data center advisory business.

In a wide-ranging interview with Cool Vector, Shivek Ratnasamy paints the picture of a "booming" but "nuanced" market offering different opportunities to investors across the risk-appetite spectrum. The most pronounced trend, says Ratnasamy, is the practice of securitizing pools of stabilized data center assets to free up capital for new developments - essentially "recycling" capital where fresh equity may prove too expensive. 

Among the interview's key takeaways:

Investors are 'ring-fencing' stabilized assets to unlock capital for growth: With equity markets expensive and platform sales less feasible, data center operators are monetizing stabilized assets through minority sales while retaining operational control. "Capital recycling" strategies allow them to plow proceeds into high-yield development projects without giving up the entire company.

Development financing is evolving with creative structures like TopCo/DevCo: RBC and peers are seeing success financing projects where stabilized assets provide a borrowing base for new developments, blending cash flow stability with growth capital. Terms remain attractive for proven operators, with leverage up to 85% and spreads in the low-to-mid 200s over base rates.

Elevated interest rates are reshaping return expectations and deal dynamics: Core infra investors now demand low double-digit returns, forcing sellers to bridge the gap with future lease repricing assumptions. While financing markets have adapted, investors are scrutinizing long-term rates and asset obsolescence more closely than ever.

The securitization market for digital infrastructure is maturing fast: Once considered “esoteric,” ABS financing has become a mainstream tool for data center operators, providing leverage above 10x at compelling rates. Operators are increasingly securitizing not just hyperscale real estate, but also fiber assets and more complex colocation portfolios.

GPU-as-a-Service is disrupting data center leasing economics: Companies like CoreWeave are driving explosive demand by leasing third-party capacity at unprecedented rates, forcing operators to choose between higher rents with greater credit risk or lower rates with investment-grade hyperscalers. This trade-off is reshaping tenant mixes and financing strategies.

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