Dallas Colocation
Dallas-Fort Worth Data Centers: What Colocation Costs, Where the Space Is, and Which Providers Fit
Dallas-Fort Worth grew 44 percent in a year and is now the third-largest colocation market in North America, yet vacancy stays under 3 percent. We find the capacity across every operator and negotiate the terms.
Find Space in DallasDallas colocation covers Dallas, TX and the whole Dallas-Fort Worth metro, from the downtown carrier hotels to campuses in Richardson, Plano, Carrollton, Irving, Allen and Fort Worth, and it is the fastest-growing major data center market in the country. CBRE counted 1,249.4 MW of inventory in the first quarter of 2026, up 43.7 percent in a year, making DFW North America's third-largest colocation market behind Northern Virginia and Atlanta, with a record 716.7 MW under construction and 88 percent of it preleased. By mid-year inventory had passed 1,400 MW with vacancy at 2.8 percent, and Cushman & Wakefield ranked DFW the top data center market in the world for 2026. Texas colocation draws companies for a central location with low latency to both coasts, a deregulated power market, a sales and use tax exemption on qualifying data center equipment, and room to grow. The constraint, as everywhere, is power delivery: demand for new large loads has outrun the utilities' ability to connect them, so most new capacity is committed before it is finished.
Figures as of mid-2026. Sources: CBRE DFW profile H1 2025, CBRE Global Data Center Trends 2026, CBRE H1 2026 via Dallas Innovates. The market grew by more than half in a year and is still preleasing ahead of delivery. Free to cite with a link to this page.
In a market growing this fast, the space that fits is often committed before it is listed. Send the requirement to us first and you'll hear back within 24 hours from the person who will run your search, with every operator that has capacity on your timeline quoted, and benchmarked against what comparable deployments pay. The provider you choose pays us, so it costs you nothing.
Where to Colocate in Dallas-Fort Worth
| Area | What is there | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown Dallasthe carrier hotels | The Infomart at 1950 North Stemmons Freeway and 2323 Bryan Street, the two buildings where most of Texas's networks meet | Interconnection, carrier diversity, cloud on-ramps and network presence; the connectivity half of most deployments |
| Richardson, Plano and Allenthe Telecom Corridor | Enterprise campuses from the national operators along US-75 north of Dallas, many with dense halls | Enterprise and mid-market colocation, AI deployments, and companies headquartered in the northern suburbs |
| Carrollton, Lewisville and Farmers Branch | Large campuses north and west of the city, including some of the metro's biggest retail and wholesale buildings | Larger retail and wholesale deployments with room to expand |
| Irving and Las Colinas | Campuses near DFW Airport and the corporate headquarters corridor | Enterprise deployments close to corporate offices and the airport |
| Fort Worth and the western metro | Newer campuses with land and power, including wholesale developments | Wholesale, AI and large deployments; Fort Worth colocation for companies based on the west side |
| The southern edgeRed Oak, Midlothian, Ellis County | Hyperscale and multi-hundred-megawatt campuses where power is being built | Megawatt-scale requirements that can prelease on a future delivery date |
Dallas Colocation Providers and Services
| Provider | Where in DFW | Built for |
|---|---|---|
| Equinix | The Infomart downtown and DA-numbered campus buildings across the metro | Interconnection, peering and cloud on-ramps through Equinix Fabric |
| Digital Realty | 2323 Bryan Street downtown and a large portfolio of DFW-numbered facilities in the suburbs | Carrier-hotel connectivity, retail and wholesale at scale, ServiceFabric cloud access |
| DataBank | Several DFW facilities, headquartered in Dallas | Enterprise colocation with compliance documentation and dense halls at the value end of the market |
| Cologix | Facilities including space in the Infomart | Interconnection and mid-size deployments with flexible terms |
| Flexential | Facilities in the northern suburbs | Enterprise colocation with managed and hybrid services |
| CyrusOne, QTS, Aligned and the wholesale developers | Campuses in Carrollton, Irving, Plano, Fort Worth and the metro's edge | Retail suites to multi-megawatt halls, increasingly liquid-cooled. See wholesale colocation |
Metro Colo Advisory summary, September 2026. The provider comparison covers each operator nationally, including which facilities are tier certified.
DFW11, DFW14, DFW35: what the facility codes mean
Dallas operators number their buildings by metro code: Digital Realty and DataBank use DFW plus a number, Equinix uses DA plus a number, Cologix uses DAL. A buyer searching one code usually wants three things about that building: its specifications (power per cabinet, cooling, floor space), its certifications (Uptime tier status, SOC 2, PCI), and whether it has space. Operators publish the first on data sheets, the second is checked against the Uptime Institute issued-awards list and the audit reports, and the third is only known by asking. We pull all three for every building on a shortlist, and the data center tiers guide explains what a tier claim does and does not mean.
Dallas Colocation Pricing: What It Costs
| Requirement | What it costs | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| 250 to 500 kW, primary markets | About $204 per kW per month on average | CBRE's primary-market average rose 4.3 percent in H1 2026; DFW sits below Chicago and Northern Virginia, which lead at $200 to $235 (MCA calculation from CBRE) |
| Retail cabinets and cages | Priced per cabinet or per kW, above wholesale per kW | Carrier hotels downtown at the top of the range, suburban campuses lower; the colocation pricing guide has the ranges |
| Power | Included in all-in cabinet pricing, or metered | ERCOT's deregulated market lets larger tenants and operators contract energy separately; ask how power is billed and whether a pass-through applies |
| Cross-connects | Typically $200 to $500 a month each in the carrier hotels | Negotiable before signature; a fabric or network-as-a-service port can replace many of them |
| Wholesale, 1 MW and up | Per kW, on long terms, mostly preleased | Rates rose across every deployment size in H1 2026 in primary markets, led by 3 to 10 MW (up 8.3 percent) |
Sources: CBRE North America Data Center Trends H1 2026; CBRE Global Data Center Trends 2026. Build and power costs are on data center cost.
How Dallas colocation companies make money, and which pricing model to choose
Operators earn on four lines: space and power (the cabinet, cage or per-kW rate), cross-connects (a monthly fee per connection, the most profitable line in carrier hotels), services (remote hands, setup, managed services) and term (longer commitments at lower rates keep buildings full). The pricing models follow from that. All-in per cabinet is simplest for a few racks; per kW committed suits dense or growing deployments and makes quotes comparable; base rate plus metered power suits variable loads and, in Texas, can pass through the operator's energy contract; wholesale per kW on a multi-year term suits 1 MW and up. Choose the model that matches how your load behaves, then compare the five-year total, not the monthly rate. The data center lease guide covers the escalators and renewal terms that change the total.
Site and power feasibility, market studies and acquisition due diligence for developers and investors in this market, in writing at a fixed fee agreed before work starts. See data center consulting, powered land and data center valuation.
Power in Texas: What Buyers Should Know
ERCOT and a deregulated market
Most of the metro sits in ERCOT, the Texas grid, with competitive retail electricity. Operators and large tenants can contract energy separately, which is part of why DFW power costs compare well; it also means pass-through clauses deserve a careful read.
The queue for large loads
Requests for new large loads to Oncor and the other utilities arrived at an unprecedented rate, and the market added controls on entry to the power queue. New campuses now plan for multi-year interconnection and on-site generation.
Senate Bill 6
Texas's 2025 large-load law added interconnection study requirements, disclosure of backup generation and curtailment provisions in grid emergencies for new loads of 75 MW and up. It matters to developers and megawatt tenants, not to retail cabinets.
Resilience
After the 2021 winter storm, operators and tenants focus on generator fuel contracts, runtime and winterization. Ask for the facility's generator runtime at full load and fuel resupply agreements.
Tax exemption
Texas offers a sales and use tax exemption on qualifying data center equipment, subject to investment and job thresholds and certification. Relevant to large deployments and to operators' pricing.
For developers and investors
Power strategy decides a Texas site's value. Our data center consulting and due diligence practice covers it, paid separately.
Houston vs Dallas for Texas colocation
Dallas is the primary market: far more inventory, the state's main carrier hotels, the cloud on-ramps, and most of the national operators. Houston is a secondary market built around energy, healthcare and the port, with more available space and often lower rates, plus coastal weather to plan around. Choose Dallas for interconnection, cloud reach and scale; Houston for local presence, energy-sector connectivity or a Texas disaster recovery site at a distance from Dallas. Many Texas companies use both, one as primary and the other for recovery. See Houston colocation and disaster recovery colocation.
How to Get Space in Dallas
Under 250 kW: existing buildings
Retail cabinets and suites turn over in the carrier hotels and suburban campuses. Rarely listed; found by asking every operator at once.
250 kW to a few MW: move early
Much of this range is committed before delivery. The paths are a prelease with a dated delivery obligation, a phased ramp in a building under construction, or a newer campus at the metro's edge.
AI and high density
DFW has more dense and liquid-cooled capacity coming than most markets, but it is the most contested. See AI and GPU colocation, or rent the compute through GPU cluster rental.
Five Mistakes in Dallas Colocation
Putting everything in a carrier hotel
The Infomart and 2323 Bryan are where the networks are, not where compute is cheapest. Split connectivity from compute.
Ignoring how power is billed
All-in, committed or metered with a pass-through: in a deregulated market the difference compounds over a term.
Treating a delivery date as capacity
New campuses depend on utility schedules. Without a dated obligation and a remedy, it is a forecast.
Skipping the resilience questions
Generator runtime, fuel contracts and winterization matter more in Texas than in most markets.
Going to one operator first
Operators price differently when they know others are quoting, and in a market growing this fast, the space that fits may be with one you had not considered.
How We Find Space in Dallas
You tell us the power, cabinets, density, the networks and clouds you need, compliance scope and the date. We ask every operator in DFW at once, including the capacity that is not listed, confirm what exists and when, and have the operators that fit quote the same requirement. We benchmark the quotes against what comparable deployments pay and negotiate the rate, the power terms, the delivery obligation, cross-connects and expansion rights before you sign. If the better answer is another part of the metro, Houston, or another market, we say so and price it. The provider you choose pays us from the channel budget it would otherwise spend on its own sales team, so the service costs you nothing and your rate is not marked up. How it works.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does colocation cost in Dallas?
Wholesale requirements of 250 to 500 kW average about $204 per kW per month across North America's primary markets, with Dallas below Chicago and Northern Virginia. Retail cabinets and cages price above wholesale per kW, highest in the downtown carrier hotels, and cross-connects typically run $200 to $500 a month each. Asking rates rose for every deployment size in the first half of 2026.
How big is the Dallas data center market?
CBRE counted 1,249.4 MW of inventory in the first quarter of 2026, up 43.7 percent in a year, making Dallas-Fort Worth North America's third-largest colocation market. Inventory passed 1,400 MW by mid-year, with a record 716.7 MW under construction, and Cushman & Wakefield ranked DFW the top data center market in the world for 2026.
Is there colocation space available in Dallas?
Vacancy ran 1.8 percent in the first quarter of 2026 and 2.8 percent at mid-year as new buildings delivered. Retail space turns over in existing buildings; most larger capacity under construction, 88 percent of it, is preleased. Finding space means asking every operator at once.
Who are the main colocation providers in Dallas?
Equinix (the Infomart and campus buildings), Digital Realty (2323 Bryan Street and a large suburban portfolio), DataBank (headquartered in Dallas), Cologix, Flexential, and wholesale developers including CyrusOne, QTS and Aligned across Carrollton, Irving, Plano and Fort Worth.
What are the carrier hotels in Dallas?
The Infomart at 1950 North Stemmons Freeway and 2323 Bryan Street, both downtown. Most of Texas's networks meet in these two buildings, which is why they anchor interconnection and cloud connectivity for the metro.
What do Dallas facility codes like DFW11 or DA2 mean?
Operators number buildings by metro: Digital Realty and DataBank use DFW plus a number, Equinix DA plus a number, Cologix DAL. Each code is a specific building with its own specifications, certifications and availability, which should be checked individually rather than assumed from the operator's name.
Should I colocate in Dallas or Houston?
Dallas for interconnection, cloud reach, scale and the widest choice of operators; Houston for local presence, energy-sector connectivity, more available space or a Texas disaster recovery site at a distance from Dallas. Many Texas companies use one for primary and the other for recovery.
What pricing models do Dallas colocation providers use?
All-in per cabinet for small deployments; per kW committed for dense or growing ones; a base rate plus metered power, sometimes with an energy pass-through in Texas's deregulated market; and wholesale per kW on multi-year terms for 1 MW and up. Choose the model that matches how your load behaves, then compare five-year totals.
How does Texas's power grid affect colocation?
Most of DFW is on ERCOT, the Texas grid, with a deregulated retail market that can lower energy costs but makes billing terms matter. New large loads face a long interconnection queue and, under Senate Bill 6, study, disclosure and curtailment requirements at 75 MW and up. Retail tenants should ask about generator runtime, fuel contracts and winterization.
Is there colocation in Fort Worth?
Yes, and growing: newer campuses on the western side of the metro offer land and power for wholesale and AI deployments, as well as colocation for companies based in Fort Worth. The downtown Dallas carrier hotels remain the connectivity hub for the whole metro.
Is Dallas good for AI and GPU colocation?
It is one of the strongest markets for it, with a large share of North America's dense and liquid-cooled capacity under construction, available land and a power market that supports large loads. That capacity is also heavily contested, so dated delivery obligations matter more than rates.
What does it cost to find space through Metro Colo Advisory?
Nothing. The provider you choose pays us from its channel budget, the same way it pays its own sales team, and your rate is not marked up. If the better answer is another part of the metro or another market, we say so.
Find Space in Dallas
Tell us the power, cabinets, density, the networks and clouds you need, compliance scope and your date. You'll hear back within 24 hours from the person who will run your search, with every operator that has capacity on your timeline quoted, benchmarked against what comparable deployments pay, and the terms negotiated before you sign. No cost, no obligation, and the provider you choose pays us.
In a market growing this fast, the space you need is often committed before anyone lists it.
Other markets: Houston, Northern Virginia, Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Providers: the provider comparison, Equinix alternatives, Digital Realty, DataBank and Cologix.
Deciding: the pricing guide, data center cost, lease terms, site selection, data center tiers, compliance, hybrid cloud, disaster recovery, migration and cloud repatriation.
Large and AI deployments: wholesale colocation, AI and GPU colocation, GPU rental, GPU cluster rental, powered shell, build to suit, data center consulting and due diligence.
