DuPont Fabros Technology
Corporate brand
UnclaimedFormer American data center real estate investment trust that developed and operated carrier-neutral wholesale data centers.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
DuPont Fabros Technology, commonly known as DFT, was an American real estate investment trust focused on large-scale, carrier-neutral data centers. The company developed, acquired, owned, and operated facilities designed primarily for wholesale customers: enterprises, internet companies, cloud platforms, and other technology businesses that leased substantial amounts of space and installed their own servers and infrastructure. Its services included data center colocation, power and cooling infrastructure, network connectivity, and peering-related capabilities. The company was co-founded by Lammot J. du Pont, a former JPMorgan Chase analyst, and Hossein Fateh, a Washington-area real estate developer. Its early strategy centered on acquiring data center properties associated with former or distressed internet service providers. A predecessor acquired five facilities from Savvis in 2004 through a sale-leaseback transaction, followed by the acquisition of a 230,000-square-foot facility from AOL in 2005. These transactions established the company’s emphasis on large, infrastructure-intensive properties rather than small retail colocation sites. DuPont Fabros Technology was incorporated as a REIT on March 2, 2007, and completed its initial public offering in October of that year. The IPO raised $640 million and was among the larger REIT offerings at the time. The company subsequently expanded its portfolio in major technology and connectivity markets, especially Northern Virginia, the Chicago area, and Silicon Valley. Its facilities were intended to support high-density computing and network-intensive workloads and were marketed to a relatively concentrated set of large customers. Growth was not uninterrupted. In early 2008, the company suspended construction projects because financing became difficult to obtain during the financial crisis. It later resumed expansion as demand for data center capacity strengthened. In 2012, DFT reported that leasing activity had reached the highest level in its history. By December 31, 2016, it owned 11 operating facilities totaling more than 3.3 million net rentable square feet: eight in Northern Virginia, two in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, and one in Santa Clara, California. The company’s customer base consisted of 32 customers, although its revenue was highly concentrated among its 15 largest accounts. Microsoft, Facebook, Rackspace, and Yahoo! were identified among its largest customers. The company continued to develop and reposition its portfolio through the middle of the 2010s. It opened a new Ashburn, Virginia, data center in 2014, acquired land in Hillsboro, Oregon, sold a New Jersey data center to Quality Technology Services, and purchased a former Toronto Star printing plant with plans for conversion into a data center. In 2017, it also acquired a large undeveloped site in Mesa, Arizona, for a planned data center campus. DuPont Fabros Technology was acquired by Digital Realty in September 2017. The transaction ended DFT’s independent existence and integrated its facilities and development pipeline into Digital Realty’s global data center platform. As a result, DuPont Fabros Technology is now best understood as a former data center REIT and a predecessor platform within Digital Realty rather than an active standalone brand.
History
DuPont Fabros Technology emerged from the growth of internet infrastructure and the increasing demand for purpose-built data center capacity. The company was co-founded by Lammot J. du Pont, a former JPMorgan Chase analyst, and Hossein Fateh, a real estate developer active in the Washington metropolitan area. Its initial approach was to acquire data center facilities associated with defunct or declining internet service providers and reposition them for use by larger technology customers. A predecessor acquired five data centers from Savvis in 2004 in a sale-leaseback transaction for $52 million. In 2005, it acquired a 230,000-square-foot data center from AOL for $58.5 million. These transactions gave the business an initial operating base and reflected its focus on acquiring specialized infrastructure rather than building an entirely new portfolio from the ground up. On March 2, 2007, DuPont Fabros Technology was incorporated as a real estate investment trust. It went public in October 2007 through an initial public offering that raised $640 million. The offering provided capital for development and expansion, although the company soon encountered the financing disruption associated with the global financial crisis. In early 2008, it halted construction projects because financing was unavailable or too expensive. Despite this setback, the company continued operating its existing properties and later benefited from the structural growth of internet traffic, cloud computing, online services, and enterprise outsourcing. In 2009, DFT was recognized by American City Business Journals as the fastest-growing company in the Washington metropolitan area. Its business developed around wholesale leasing, in which customers rented substantial amounts of space and built or installed their own computing environments. This model differed from smaller retail colocation, where customers typically lease individual cabinets or limited suites. DFT’s target customers included major internet platforms, cloud providers, and large enterprises requiring scalable power, cooling, physical security, and network access. Corporate governance and executive matters also featured in the company’s history. Mohammed Mark Amin resigned from the board in February 2011 and was replaced by John T. Roberts Jr. In 2012, chief executive Hossein Fateh reportedly gave up a $450,000 salary in exchange for use of the company aircraft. That year, DFT stated that leasing volume was the largest in its history. The company also disclosed significant customer concentration: by the end of 2016 it had 32 customers, while 92 percent of revenue came from its 15 largest customers. Microsoft, Facebook, Rackspace, and Yahoo! were among the largest accounts. In May 2012, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused former director Mohammed Mark Amin of earning a $618,000 profit through insider trading in DFT securities. The allegation was a significant governance and regulatory event associated with the company, although the source material does not establish a final legal outcome. DFT expanded its physical footprint during the mid-2010s. It opened a new data center in Ashburn, Virginia, in September 2014. Christopher P. Eldredge became chief executive officer in February 2015, and the company received the Uptime Institute’s Brill Award for Data Center Design the following month. In 2016, DFT acquired 46.7 acres in Hillsboro, Oregon, sold a 38-acre New Jersey data center to Quality Technology Services, and bought a former Toronto Star printing plant for conversion into a data center. In May 2017, it acquired a 56.5-acre undeveloped property in Mesa, Arizona, for a planned data center campus. As of December 31, 2016, DFT owned 11 operating data center facilities with more than 3.3 million net rentable square feet. Eight were located in Northern Virginia, two in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, and one in Santa Clara, California. The portfolio was concentrated in major connectivity markets and built around large-scale wholesale tenants. Digital Realty acquired DuPont Fabros Technology in September 2017. The transaction ended DFT’s independent corporate and brand history and transferred its operating assets and development opportunities into Digital Realty. The company’s legacy is therefore tied to the expansion of the wholesale data center REIT model and to the growth of Northern Virginia and other major U.S. markets as hubs for cloud and internet infrastructure.
- 2017
Mesa, Arizona development site acquired
[1]The company acquired a 56.5-acre undeveloped site in Mesa for a planned data center campus.
- 2017
Acquired by Digital Realty
[1]Digital Realty acquired DFT in September, ending its independent operation.
- 2016
Hillsboro land acquisition
[1]DFT acquired a 46.7-acre parcel in Hillsboro, Oregon, for future development.
- 2016
New Jersey property sold
[1]The company sold a 38-acre New Jersey data center property to Quality Technology Services.
- 2016
Toronto Star facility acquired for conversion
[1]DFT acquired a former Toronto Star printing plant and planned to convert it into a data center.
- 2015
New chief executive appointed
[1]Christopher P. Eldredge was named chief executive officer.
- 2014
Ashburn data center opened
[1]The company opened a new data center in Ashburn, Virginia.
- 2008
Construction pause during financing disruption
[1]DFT halted construction projects because of limited financing availability.
- 2007
Incorporated as a REIT
[1]DuPont Fabros Technology was incorporated as a real estate investment trust on March 2.
- 2007
Initial public offering
[1]The company completed an IPO in October that raised $640 million.
Products and positioning
A specialized wholesale data center owner and operator serving large enterprises, internet companies, cloud providers, and other high-volume technology customers.
Data center infrastructure
Wholesale data centers
DFT’s principal offering was large-scale wholesale data center space leased to major enterprises, internet companies, and cloud providers. Customers generally rented substantial suites or entire sections of facilities and installed their own servers and technical equipment. DFT supplied the underlying building, electrical capacity, cooling systems, security, connectivity, and operational support.
Colocation services
Carrier-neutral colocation
The company operated carrier-neutral facilities intended to provide customers with access to multiple telecommunications carriers and network providers. This architecture gave large tenants flexibility in selecting connectivity partners and supported network-intensive workloads across internet, enterprise, and cloud applications.
Network services
Peering and network connectivity
DFT’s data center environments supported peering and other network interconnection functions. These capabilities complemented the company’s real estate business by making its facilities attractive to customers that required high-volume, low-latency connections to carriers, internet exchanges, cloud platforms, and other digital infrastructure.
Controversies
2012
SEC insider-trading allegation involving a former director
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission accused former DFT director Mohammed Mark Amin of earning a $618,000 profit through insider trading in the company’s securities. The available reference does not specify the final disposition of the matter.
Brand decisions
2017
Accepted acquisition by Digital RealtyM&ABackground
DFT owned a substantial U.S. wholesale data center portfolio and had additional development sites, making it a strategic combination target for a larger data center platform.
Action taken
Digital Realty acquired DuPont Fabros Technology in September 2017.
Aftermath
DFT ceased to operate as an independent company, and its facilities and development assets became part of Digital Realty.
2016
Expanded the development pipeline through land and property transactionsStrategyBackground
DFT sought additional sites and redevelopment opportunities to support future data center capacity beyond its established operating portfolio.
Action taken
The company acquired land in Hillsboro, Oregon, purchased a former Toronto Star printing plant for planned conversion, and sold a New Jersey data center property.
Aftermath
The transactions reshaped the portfolio and added prospective development capacity while monetizing at least one operating asset.
2014
Opened an Ashburn data centerProduct launchBackground
Northern Virginia was a central market for internet and cloud infrastructure, and DFT already maintained a large concentration of properties in the region.
Action taken
The company opened a new data center facility in Ashburn, Virginia.
Aftermath
The opening expanded DFT’s operating presence in one of the most important U.S. data center markets.
2008
Paused construction in response to financing conditionsStrategyBackground
The global financial crisis made financing more difficult and constrained the company’s ability to fund new construction.
Action taken
DFT halted construction projects while continuing to operate its existing data center portfolio.
Aftermath
The company later resumed expansion as demand for data center capacity improved.
Sources1 sources
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