Over the past day, investors have plowed into the underlying hardware and infrastructure needed to power the AI boom. The largest rounds are pushing capital toward real-world enablers: for example, El Segundo–based Valar Atomics raised $1?billion (Series B) at a $6?billion valuation to mass-produce modular nuclear reactors that can power data centers and AI systems. That same AI-driven theme shows up in chip funding: UK startup OLIX secured $312?million (Series B) for its photonic AI inference chips, signaling a push for specialized compute beyond today’s GPUs. Even in enterprise software, money is chasing AI agents and automation. San Francisco’s Freehand drew $75?million to expand its AI-powered supply-chain management platform, and New…