Lilac Solutions vs NiSource
Side-by-side comparison of AI visibility scores, market position, and capabilities
Oakland DLE lithium extraction technology ($318M total, $145M T. Rowe Price Series C); 5th gen 20x production rates with 1-acre = 10,000-acre evaporation pond efficiency and Great Salt Lake/Argentina deployments competing with SLB for lithium supply.
About
Lilac Solutions is an Oakland, California-based direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology company — backed with over $318 million in total funding including a $145 million Series C led by T. Rowe Price and Presidio Ventures — commercializing a proprietary ion exchange process that extracts lithium from brine resources with 70-98% efficiency using ceramic beads coated with nano-materials, achieving the same lithium output from a 1-acre system that conventional evaporation pond methods require 10,000 acres to produce. Founded in 2016 from CEO Dave Snydacker's PhD research at Northwestern University, Lilac was acquired new CEO Raef Sully (former CEO of Nutrien's $10 billion business unit) in 2024 to lead commercial scaling. In 2025, Lilac unveiled its fifth-generation DLE technology achieving 20x higher lithium production rates and 10,000 operational cycles before replacement — orders of magnitude better than competing technologies. Active projects include the Kachi project in Argentina (with Lake Resources), the Great Salt Lake project in Utah (targeting 3,000 tonnes per year by 2026), and the Neptune project in Germany. Lilac's manufacturing facility in Fernley, Nevada produces the ion exchange beads for commercial deployment. Investors include Breakthrough Energy Ventures.
Merrillville IN regulated utility (NYSE: NI) at $5.5B 2024 revenue; $19.4B 2025-2029 capex plan for 8-10% rate base growth with Columbia Gas/NIPSCO brands and net-zero 2040 target competing with Atmos Energy for gas utility.
About
NiSource Inc. is a Merrillville, Indiana-based fully regulated utility company — publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: NI) as an S&P 500 component — serving approximately 3.3 million natural gas customers and 500,000 electric customers across six states (Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia) through its Columbia Gas brands and the NIPSCO (Northern Indiana Public Service Company) electric utility. NiSource employs approximately 7,700 people and operates through nearly 60,000 miles of natural gas pipeline and distribution infrastructure. In fiscal year 2024, NiSource reported operating revenues of $5.5 billion and net income of $739.7 million ($1.62 EPS), up from $661.7 million in 2023. NiSource provided 2025 non-GAAP adjusted EPS guidance of $1.85-$1.89 and announced an increased $19.4 billion capital expenditure plan for 2025-2029 targeting 8-10% rate base growth and 6-8% EPS annual growth. NiSource is committed to a net-zero emissions target by 2040, has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 72% from 2005 levels, and is on track to retire 100% of its coal assets by 2028, replacing them with utility-scale solar and renewable energy.
AI Visibility Head-to-Head
Key Details
Also Compare
Track AI Visibility in Real Time
Monitor how your brand performs across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, and Grok daily.