Netherlands-based ASML Holdings N.V. provides advanced semiconductor capital equipment solutions. ASML manufactures ultraviolet lithography systems critical to the production of integrated circuits. The company, based in Europe's top technology hub near Eindhoven, has operations in Europe, the Americas, and Asia, and employs 33,000 people. The company supplies both primary semiconductor companies such as Intel and Samsung as well as merchant foundry companies such as Taiwan Semiconductor. Together with its partners, ASML is driving the development of more affordable, more powerful, and more energy-efficient chips and devices.

Lithium Americas is a pure-play lithium producer. The firm owns one resource, Thacker Pass, that is located in northwest Nevada. Thacker Pass recently began construction and is expected to begin production in the mid-2020s. Thacker Pass is one of the largest known lithium resources in the world. The project would be the first clay-based asset to enter production, and we estimate it will be in bottom half of the global cost curve. Management plans to develop Thacker Pass into a fully integrated lithium production site, with downstream refining capabilities on site, and will sell into the lithium chemical market.

Albemarle is one of the world's largest lithium producers. In the lithium industry, the majority of demand comes from batteries, where lithium is used as the energy storage material, particularly in electric vehicles. Albemarle is a fully integrated lithium producer. Its upstream resources include salt brine deposits in Chile and the U.S. and two hard rock mines in Australia, both of which are joint ventures. The company operates lithium refining plants in Chile, the U.S., Australia, and China. Albemarle is a global leader in the production of bromine, used in flame retardants. It is also a major producer of oil refining catalysts.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile is a Chilean commodities producer with significant operations in lithium (primarily used in batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage systems), specialty and standard potassium fertilizers, iodine (primarily used in X-ray contrast media), and solar salts. The company extracts these materials through its high-quality salt brine deposits and caliche ore. SQM is also developing a hard rock lithium project in Australia and is growing its lithium refining assets in China.