Sociedad Quimica Y Minera (SQM)

Name

Sociedad Quimica Y Minera (SQM)

Legal name

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A.

Website

https://sqm.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Mining Chemicals

NAICS

Nitrogenous Fertilizer Manufacturing (325311), Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531), Basic Chemical Manufacturing (3251)

SIC

Industrial Inorganic Chemicals (2810), Agricultural Chemicals (2870)

akta.pro primary industry

Lithium Mining & Brine Extraction (IMAKAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Soil Amendments & Conditioners (Lime/Gypsum/Humates) (IMAEAEAH), Brine Concentrate Management & Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) (EUANAFAH)

Keywords

• Lithium carbonate production
• Specialty plant nutrition
• Iodine derivatives
• Industrial chemicals manufacturing
• Potassium fertilizers

Headquarters

HQ city

Santiago

HQ country

Chile

HQ region

Latin America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Lithium and Derivatives: Production and sale of lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide and other lithium compounds for batteries, serving EV manufacturers and energy storage companies. Q1 2026 revenues of $1.76 billion driven primarily by lithium segment.
2. Specialty Plant Nutrition: Production and sale of specialty fertilizers and agricultural nutrients for precision farming and sustainable agriculture globally.
3. Iodine and Derivatives: Iodine production contributing approximately 42% of total gross profit in 2025. Iodine is used in pharmaceuticals, nutrition, industrial applications.
4. Potassium: Potassium-based products including potassium nitrate and potassium sulfate for agricultural and industrial applications.
5. Industrial Chemicals: Solar salts and other industrial chemical products including nitrates for various industrial applications.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SQM is a global mining and specialty chemicals company that extracts and processes lithium, iodine, potassium, and nitrates from Chilean brine and caliche ore deposits, producing lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide for EV batteries and energy storage, specialty fertilizers for agriculture, iodine for pharmaceuticals, and industrial chemicals including solar salts for concentrated solar power. The company sells these products to global industrial, battery, agricultural, and pharmaceutical customers under B2B contracts.

Product overview

SQM is a Chilean mining and chemicals company providing solutions for human progress through five/six lines of business: Specialty Plant Nutrition, Lithium and Derivatives, Iodine and Derivatives, Potassium, Industrial Chemicals, and Solar Salts. The company operates primarily in Chile's Atacama Desert, extracting minerals from brine deposits and surface operations. SQM holds leading global positions in lithium, iodine, and specialty fertilizers, with operations including the Salar de Atacama lithium facilities, Coya Sur and Nueva Victoria nitrate/iodine operations, and the Kwinana refinery in Australia. The company is transitioning its lithium operations through a joint venture with state-owned Codelco called NovaAndino Litio SpA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Allganic: Specialty plant nutrition products
• Ayllu
• Colores del Norte

Products and services

• Lithium and Derivatives (Litio y Derivados) SQM extracts and processes lithium from brine deposits in the Atacama salt flat, producing lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide for EV batteries, energy storage, and grid-scale storage applications. SQM holds approximately 15% of the global lithium market and access to about 40% of global proven lithium reserves through its Chilean operations and Kwinana refinery in Australia.
• Specialty Plant Nutrition (Nutrición Vegetal de Especialidad) SQM produces specialty fertilizers including potassium nitrate and sodium nitrate for precision agriculture and high-value crop production. The Allganic brand markets these specialty plant nutrition products globally to agricultural cooperatives and farmers, supporting sustainable fertilization and yield improvement.
• Iodine and Derivatives (Yodo y Derivados) SQM is a leading global producer of iodine and iodine derivatives used in pharmaceuticals, medical imaging, nutritional supplements, LCD/display technology, and industrial applications. Iodine contributed approximately 42% of SQM's total gross profit in 2025. The Nueva Victoria plant became the first in the world to certify iodine production with ISO 50001:2018.
• Potassium (Potasio) SQM produces potassium-based products including potassium chloride and potassium sulfate for agricultural fertilizer applications, serving crop nutrition markets worldwide.
• Industrial Chemicals (Químicos Industriales) SQM manufactures industrial chemical products for various manufacturing and processing applications, including chemical intermediates and reagents.
• Solar Salts (Sales Solares) SQM produces solar salts including sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate used in concentrated solar power (CSP) plants for thermal energy storage applications. These salts serve renewable energy operators requiring high-performance thermal storage media.

Quantifiable outcome

• Lithium sales volumes increased 25% year-over-year in Q1 2026
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• AltiliumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2026Strategic investment from SQM of £10 million in UK battery recycling company Altilium. Altilium is developing EV battery recycling technology and received £18.5 million UK government grant. Partnership positions SQM in battery materials recycling value chain.
• LiebherrcoreTechnology or Integration · 18 March 2026Deployment of Liebherr LiReCon teleoperation system at SQM's Nueva Victoria iodine mine. PR 776 G8 dozers operational with remote control capabilities since March 2026.
• Ivanhoe Electric Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 January 2026Collaboration and exploration agreement to search for copper deposits across 2,002 km² of SQM mining concessions in northern Chile's Atacama Desert. SQM committed US$9 million over initial three-year term. Uses Ivanhoe's Typhoon geophysical surveying system to detect copper deposits beneath resistive caliche cover.
• Computational Geosciences Inc.coreTechnology or Integration · 28 January 2026Provider of data inversion software used in conjunction with Ivanhoe Electric's Typhoon system for copper exploration beneath caliche cover.
• Consejo Minero (Chilean Mining Council)minorOthers · 2 August 2024SQM became a new member of the Chilean Mining Council, the industry association for large-scale mining in Chile.
• Codelco (Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 May 2024Strategic joint venture NovaAndino Litio SpA formed between SQM and Chilean state copper company Codelco for Salar de Atacama lithium operations. Codelco holds 50%+1 stake with SQM managing operations through 2030 before full Codelco control through 2060. Production target of 280,000-300,000 tonnes LCE annually. $3 billion capital budget for DLE deployment.
• Universidad Católica del Norte (UCN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Educational partnership supporting ViLTI SeMANN robotics education program for children in northern Chile. UCN provides program delivery with SQM corporate sponsorship.
• Randon (Brazil)coreTechnology or Integration · 26 December 2023Partnership to develop first 100% electric mining transport equipment in the Americas. Randon provides Hybrid R semirremolques with energy recovery technology for braking and descent.
• VolvocoreTechnology or Integration · 26 December 2023Partnership for electric heavy equipment for mining operations in Chile.
• Cooperativa de Viñateros de Altura LikanantayminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2018Partnership supporting wine production program Atacama Tierra Fértil in San Pedro de Atacama. Program increased vineyards from 1,600 to 22,000 vines. SQM built wine cellar and provides agricultural technical assistance.
• Hokuren (Japan)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 March 2018Long-term customer relationship with Japanese agricultural cooperative for specialty fertilizer distribution in Hokkaido region.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Arcadium Lithium: Formed via the merger of Livent and Allkem, Arcadium is a major integrated lithium chemicals producer with brine and hard-rock assets. Direct competitor across lithium carbonate and hydroxide supply to the same EV/ESS customer base as SQM.
• Albemarle Corporation: One of the world's largest lithium producers with significant brine and hard-rock operations. Directly comparable to SQM as a top-tier global lithium supplier serving EV battery manufacturers and competing on cost, scale, and resource access.
• Tianqi Lithium: Major Chinese lithium chemicals producer and existing 22% shareholder of SQM. Directly comparable in lithium brine concentration, hydroxide conversion, and battery-grade supply to global OEMs.
• Ganfeng Lithium: China's largest lithium producer with global brine, hard-rock, and battery-grade chemical operations. Direct peer in lithium extraction and refining, with overlapping exposure to Chinese battery customers and similar technology roadmaps including DLE.

Emerging players

• Lithium Americas: North and South American lithium developer with major projects in Argentina (Cauchari-Olaroz) and the US (Thacker Pass). Comparable as a brine-based lithium producer targeting the same EV/ESS customer base, though at earlier development stage than SQM.
• Mineral Resources: Australian mining services and lithium producer (Mount Marion JV with Ganfeng). Comparable as a competing lithium raw-material supplier with growing downstream ambitions, although operating in hard-rock rather than brine.
• Pilbara Minerals: Australian hard-rock lithium producer and a significant spodumene concentrate supplier. Comparable as a competing lithium raw-material supplier, though operating in a different cost curve (hard rock vs. brine) than SQM.
• Compass Minerals: US-based producer of specialty plant nutrition, salt, and sulfate of potash. Comparable to SQM's specialty plant nutrition division with similar focus on high-value crop inputs and precision agriculture customers.

Broad incumbents

• ICL Group: Israel-based specialty fertilizers and specialty chemicals producer (potash, phosphate, and increasingly battery materials). Comparable to SQM's specialty plant nutrition and potassium businesses with overlapping agricultural customer base.
• K+S AG: German potash and salt producer with global agricultural customer reach. Comparable to SQM's potassium and specialty fertilizer businesses, with overlapping specialty plant nutrition end markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SQMoficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sqm
• Instagraminstagram.com/sqmchile

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sociedad Quimica Y Minera (SQM)