Episode 396: DigitalBridge on Digital Infrastructure as Real Estate for the Modern Economy

Bill Hughes, managing director of liquid strategies at DigitalBridge Investment Management, was a guest on the latest edition of the Nareit REIT Report podcast.

Hughes discussed some of the trends and developments in digital infrastructure and real estate securities markets today. He noted that the types of real estate businesses that get characterized as digital infrastructure currently compose around 40% of the publicly traded real estate market by value. “That's something that was not true a decade, a decade and a half ago.”

When analyzing digital infrastructure, the same issues that impact traditional real estate—such as supply and demand dynamics, unit level economics, the capital intensity of the asset over time, lease structures, and credit counterparties—should all be considered, Hughes said.