2 AI Data Center Stocks to Buy Right Now

Brookfield Corporation is positioning itself as a major AI-infrastructure investor, launching a Brookfield AI Infrastructure Fund that may deploy up to $100 billion, committing balance-sheet capital to affiliate-managed funds, securing up to $5 billion for advanced fuel-cell power in data centers, creating a new cloud services unit (Radiant) to build specialized “AI factories,” and leveraging Brookfield Infrastructure and Brookfield Renewable to deploy roughly $500 million a year into AI data centers and power supply. Data-center REIT Equinix, with 273 facilities across 77 markets, has 58 projects underway (including 12 large-scale xScale sites), is partnering with sovereign and pension capital to build $15 billion of U.S. xScale capacity, and aims to double capacity by 2029; together the two firms are presented as early leaders positioned to capture the massive McKinsey-estimated $5.2 trillion AI data-center capex opportunity through 2030, making them strategic plays on the AI infrastructure buildout.

Analysis

Brookfield Corporation is mobilizing large-scale capital to target the AI-infrastructure opportunity, launching a Brookfield AI Infrastructure Fund that may deploy up to $100 billion, committing balance-sheet capital to affiliate-managed funds, securing up to $5 billion for advanced fuel-cell power in data centers, and creating a cloud services unit (Radiant) to construct specialized "AI factories." Brookfield Infrastructure expects to deploy roughly $500 million per year into AI data centers while Brookfield Renewable is positioned as a power supplier to those facilities, supporting an integrated play across real estate, power and semiconductor capacity.

Equinix is accelerating physical capacity with 273 data centers across 77 markets, 58 projects underway including 12 large xScale sites, and a joint-venture pipeline that includes $15 billion of U.S. xScale capacity; the REIT targets doubling capacity by 2029 and already hosts AI-grade supercomputing deployments. The article and signals show moderately positive market sentiment (overall sentiment score 0.55) with strong per-ticker enthusiasm for BN (0.8) and EQIX (0.7).

Macro context and risks: McKinsey’s estimate of $5.2 trillion in AI data-center capex to 2030 (plus the article’s additional $1.5 billion for traditional data centers) frames material long-duration demand but also implies intense capital intensity and execution risk. Investors should weigh the strategic vertical integration and JV de-risking cited against timelines, funding cadence, and competitive entrants; market-impact signals are constructive but moderate (market_impact_score 0.35).

Key Decisions for Investors

• Consider establishing or modestly increasing exposure to Brookfield-parented vehicles (BN/BAM/BIP) to play integrated AI-infrastructure upside, while monitoring fund deployment milestones and Radiant commercial traction
• Consider selectively adding to Equinix (EQIX) for direct data-center capacity exposure given its xScale JV pipeline and goal to double capacity by 2029, subject to verification of JV terms and project timelines
• Monitor leading indicators—announced capex deployments, fuel-cell power contracts, data-center lease-up rates and customer supercomputer deployments—to validate the McKinsey-driven demand thesis before committing larger allocations
• Size positions to reflect execution risk and capital intensity (use staggered entries or hedges), and consider complementary exposure to Brookfield Renewable where available to capture the power-supply angle