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

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

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TierPoint | 22% | #1 of 9 | 6% | 18 | 10 of 14 |
| Digital Realty | 2% | #6 of 9 | 12% | 32 | 13 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

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

## What the models said about TierPoint

- "Possible late or slow customer service, and some users have reported frustration with limited data centers and high initial setup costs." (Mistral Small, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "TierPoint – national mid-market with regional coverage. US-focused operator with strong regional coverage and competitive pricing" (Muse Glimmer 30B, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Start with TierPoint if you want a provider specifically focused on mid-market businesses with excellent regional coverage" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "often the go-to for mid-market... General mid-market colocation & DR: TierPoint, Flexential." (GLM 4.7 FlashX, direct 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.