Aaron Binkley, vice president of sustainability at Digital Realty (NYSE: DLR), sat down for a video interview at Nareit’s REITwise: 2026 Educational Conference in Hollywood, Florida.
Binkley stressed that sustainability remains central to Digital Realty’s data center strategy amid rapid growth driven by AI and rising demand. “We’ve stayed with our fundamental approach, which is to build energy-efficient, sustainable data centers… and then power those data centers with clean energy and emission-free sources of power,” he said.
Binkley explained that energy efficiency has long been a priority, but is now even more critical.
A growing sustainability challenge is water use, especially as higher-density computing increases cooling needs. Digital Realty is shifting toward liquid cooling systems that reduce reliance on traditional air cooling while keeping water consumption low. The company also emphasizes water efficiency by using recycled and non-potable water.
From an investor perspective, expectations vary globally but consistently center on energy usage, water management, carbon footprint, and long-term decarbonization plans. Investors are also concerned with resilience and risk management. In response, Digital Realty is prioritizing transparency and actively communicating its sustainability strategies and progress.