Companies in Santiago

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.

Codelco, the Chilean state-owned copper company, is the world's largest copper producer, accountable for roughly 10% of global copper output from its flagship mines in Chile's Atacama region. Founded in 1976 when the Chilean government consolidated the nationalized copper operations, Codelco has supplied the world's copper for nearly five decades and remains the industry's benchmark for scale and geological resources. Its operations include the legendary Chuquicamata open-pit mine, the underground El Teniente mine, the world's largest underground copper mine, and the Radomiro Tomic and Gabriela Mistral operations. Codelco also produces molybdenum and gold as by-products, and is executing a multi-billion-dollar structural projects pipeline to convert aging open pits to modern underground mines, extending output for decades. For B2B buyers, Codelco sells copper cathode, concentrate and refined products through long-term contracts to smelters, fabricators and cable manufacturers worldwide. Its state backing, consistent quality and massive reserves make it a cornerstone supplier in the global copper market, which is tightening as electrification and renewable energy drive demand.