Image Source: PexelsI started investing in the early 1990s, and just around the time I started thinking I was getting a handle on things, the dot-com boom and bust happened.For years, I’d been studying what valuations meant and how to read financial statements… and then all of a sudden, we had stocks with no revenue going up as much as 100% in a day.Needless to say, that threw me for a loop.Ever since then, whenever there’s a really big trend that people are all excited about (like crypto and AI today and marijuana before that), instead of trying to predict which company will end up as the dominant player, I look for “pick-and-shovel plays” – companies that are going to make money regardless of who wins.The term “pick-and-shovel play” goes back to the gold rush of the 19th century. A handful of speculators struck it rich by panning for gold… but the biggest fortunes went to the people who sold tools like picks and shovels to the gold miners.When it comes to the AI revolution, my favorite pick-and-shovel opportunities are in nuclear energy. These are the companies that are supplying what AI desperately needs, so they’re the ones that are going to win no matter what else happens in AI.Google CEO Sundar Pichai said AI is going to impact every product across every company, and Goldman Sachs estimates that Big Tech will spend over $1 trillion on AI. So it’s clear that this trend already has the attention of the world’s most powerful firms.In fact, Amazon and Google aren’t just hoping to “explore” AI and its applications. They’re actually building their own nuclear power plants so they can maximize AI’s potential within their business.That speaks volumes.Now, there’s certainly not a consensus on the merits of nuclear energy. Critics might tell you that it’s too dangerous or too costly.But after thoroughly researching the facts, I’m convinced that it’s the best option to help provide AI’s energy needs and catapult AI into its next chapter.For one, when you look at the number of deaths per unit of electricity produced, it’s right there at the bottom. Solar is the lowest, but nuclear is right there at 0.03.Nuclear power also requires significantly less land than every other major energy source. One nuclear plant produces as much energy as at least 200 windmills, which take up massive amounts of space.But nuclear power’s strongest selling point is likely its efficiency. As you can see below, it generates more than twice as much energy as any other source.Perhaps this data explains why both Republicans and Democrats – and a number of governments around the world – generally support expanding nuclear capabilities.I certainly never imagined we’d get America, the UN, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden all agreeing on something… but that’s where we are with nuclear energy.Trillions are going to be spent on nuclear in the coming years. Investors who ride the wave have the potential to bank enormous profits.More By This Author:Master The Ebbs And Flows Of The MarketHealthpeak Properties: A “Healthy” 5.8% Yield?3 Ways To Play Uranium And Nuclear Energy