About
SQM is a Chilean mining and chemicals company and one of the world's two largest producers of lithium, alongside Albemarle, extracting brine from the Salar de Atacama — the richest lithium brine deposit on earth. Founded in 1968 as a state entity and privatized in the 1980s, the company is headquartered in Santiago, employs about 5,000 people, and generates annual revenue of roughly US$8 billion.\n\nSQM's lithium operations produce both lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide, the two compounds that power lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, with capacity expanding toward 210,000 tonnes per year through its agreement with Chinese partner Chengdu Tianqi and new projects in Australia. The company is also the world's largest producer of iodine and potassium nitrate, with significant positions in specialty plant nutrition, solar-salt, and industrial chemicals sold to more than 110 countries.\n\nFor battery manufacturers and EV supply chains, SQM is a cornerstone raw-material supplier with long-term offtake agreements with LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI, and other cell makers — its position in the 'lithium triangle' of South America makes it one of the most strategically important companies in the global energy-transition supply chain.
Also known as: SQM
