BlackRock's latest play? They're going all-in on the infrastructure behind AI — the classic 'pick and shovel' strategy. Instead of betting on which AI company wins, they're targeting the guaranteed winners: chip makers, data centers, power infrastructure. Smart money recognizes that in any gold rush, selling shovels beats digging for gold. This approach mirrors what we're seeing in crypto AI projects too — the real value might not be in the flashiest AI token, but in the protocols and infrastructure powering the entire ecosystem. When the world's largest asset manager makes this call, it's worth paying attention to where the real money flows.