AMAT is making me rethink who the real winners of the AI boom are

Everyone talks about Nvidia, OpenAI, Anthropic, and the next AI model. But lately I have been spending more time looking at the companies selling the tools that make all of this possible. Applied Materials ($AMAT) just hit another 52-week high, and the more I dig into the business, the more it feels like one of those boring companies quietly benefiting from every AI dollar being spent. Think about it: More AI models = more chips needed More chips = more fabs More fabs = more equipment AMAT sells the equipment Whether Nvidia wins, AMD wins, or some startup builds the next breakthrough model, somebody still needs to buy the machinery required to manufacture the semiconductors. That’s what I like about the setup. I am not saying AMAT is risk-free. The stock isn’t cheap anymore and semiconductor cycles can turn fast. But if we’re truly in the early innings of a multi-year AI infrastructure buildout, it feels like the market is only starting to appreciate how much spending is going to happen below the software layer. Much interested in what everyone thinks. Would you rather own: A) Nvidia and the AI leaders B) Picks-and-shovels names like AMAT, ASML, and Lam Research C) Both