# Equinix vs Digital Realty: which do AI models recommend for colocation, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Colocation providers. Two of fourteen models named Equinix first on the direct prompt; one named Digital Realty. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/cloud/colocation-providers/equinix-vs-digital-realty/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equinix | 10% | #3 of 9 | 25% | 44 | 14 of 14 |
| Digital Realty | 2% | #6 of 9 | 12% | 32 | 13 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- GPT-5.4 mini: equinix first (first choices: Equinix) (alternatives: CoreSite, Flexential, TierPoint)
- Mistral Small: equinix first (first choices: DataBank, Equinix)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: digital realty first (first choices: DataBank, Digital Realty) (alternatives: Equinix, NTT Global Data Centers)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither first, one named (first choices: DataBank, TierPoint) (alternatives: Equinix)
- GPT-6 Luna: neither first, one named (first choices: Flexential) (alternatives: CoreSite, Equinix, TierPoint)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: neither first, one named (first choices: TierPoint) (alternatives: CoreSite, CyrusOne, Cyxtera, DataBank, Equinix, Flexential, NTT)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither named
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither named (first choices: Flexential) (alternatives: Centersquare, CoreSite, Iron Mountain Data Centers, TierPoint)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither named (first choices: CoreSite) (alternatives: Iron Mountain Data Centers, NTT Global Data Centers)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither named (first choices: Flexential) (alternatives: DataBank, TierPoint)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named
- Kimi K2: neither named (first choices: TierPoint) (alternatives: Cologix, DataBank)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither named (first choices: Flexential, TierPoint) (alternatives: CoreSite, CyrusOne, DataBank, Iron Mountain Data Centers, QTS)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither named

## What the models said about Equinix

- "Avoid hyperscale giants (Equinix, Digital Realty): ... will likely be overkill and overpriced for a mid-market B2B firm." (DeepSeek V4 Flash, direct prompt, hard negative)
- "you should generally avoid Tier-1 premium global giants like Equinix, Digital Realty, or CyrusOne" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, budget prompt, hard negative)
- "Despite being the largest colocation provider globally, recent reports indicate continued maintenance budget reductions that may impact reliability" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Equinix and Digital Realty are the two market leaders with strong global footprints and advanced interconnection and AI-ready capabilities." (GLM 4.7 FlashX, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "For most mid-sized B2B companies, Equinix is the best overall choice due to its unmatched global ecosystem and interconnection capabilities." (Mistral Small, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "Equinix is widely considered the gold standard in the industry... Equinix is usually the best choice because almost everyone peers there." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, comparative prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Digital Realty

- "Avoid hyperscale giants (Equinix, Digital Realty): ... will likely be overkill and overpriced for a mid-market B2B firm." (DeepSeek V4 Flash, direct prompt, hard negative)
- "you should generally avoid Tier-1 premium global giants like Equinix, Digital Realty, or CyrusOne" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, budget prompt, hard negative)
- "That does not mean you must avoid Equinix or Digital Realty, but it underscores the importance of reading the actual SLA" (Muse Glimmer 30B, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Equinix, Digital Realty, DataBank, CoreSite, and Cologix are among the more established providers" (Kimi K2, negative prompt, first choice)
- "place Equinix and Digital Realty as the two largest global colocation players by revenue" (GPT-5.4 mini, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "Start with DataBank or Digital Realty for a balance of price, performance, and reliability." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, direct prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.