Emily Flippen

You still do need the physical assets there.

So it's good to mention some of the REITs that are still benefiting from the data center build-outs as well.

But up next, we're going to move on to what is, I think, my favorite segment of today's show.

We're going to be digging into the real picks and shovels of data centers, some of the under-recognized businesses that help make them a reality.

So stick with us.

Welcome back to Motley Fool Money.

As we wrap up today's show, we're going to discuss some even more under-the-radar businesses that are operating as the picks and shovels of AI data center build-outs.

These are the type of opportunities that are my personal favorites.

I have to call out one or two here just for fun.

For example, when I was running the Marijuana Masters investing service here at The Fool, we were always looking for these types of ancillary opportunities that benefited from things like cannabis legalization without being overly indexed to it.

One such example was a

company called Aon Inc.

Their ticker symbol is A-A-O-N.

They are a custom HVAC manufacturing company that was actually one of the first businesses to help make custom heating systems for cannabis greenhouses in North America.

Ironically, Aon is actually

also has exposure to the data center build-out too, because they made an acquisition of a company called Basics a couple of years ago that helps manage thermal cooling for hyperscalers.

These are the types of companies that you would never otherwise hear about that still massively benefit from the expansion of data centers.

When everyone else is focused on the hyperscalers of the world, these are the quiet beneficiaries.

Dan, I already mentioned Aon.

Are there any ancillary or picks and shovels plays for data centers that are on your radar?