Cree, Inc. announces that Illinois’ Joliet Junior College (JJC) is joining the LED University™ program. College officials recently renovated 12 restrooms on campus, replacing compact fluorescent and tube fluorescent fixtures with six-inch LED recessed lights, LR6s, from Cree. Energy consumption was reduced by 50 percent, from 3,384 watts to 1,692 watts. A total cost of ownership analysis, done by JJC, shows that the college expects to save more than $53,000 over the estimated 25-year life span of the LED fixtures.



European and U.S. Manufacturers in the Exhibition Cree Cree, the leading U.S.-based LED manufacturer, had its booth in Exhibition Hall 1.1. The major products exhibited by the company were LED components, which attracted a number of visitors. As the company’s featured product on the show, the XP-E,MC-E series, boasts its compact size and high luminous efficacy. The MC-E series, on the other hand, emphasizes multi-chip technology with its color-adjustable function.

Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE) announces the first commercially available water-resistant, surface-mount, high-brightness LEDs for outdoor video screens. This RGB (red-green-blue) LED has an IPx5 rating, indicating that the LED is protected against low-pressure jets of water from all directions.

Cree, Inc. announced yesterday that it has signed a definitive agreement with RFHIC Corporation (Suwon, Korea) for Cree to supply GaN-on-SiC transistors to RFHIC for their GaN HEMT amplifier product families.

Cree, Inc. today announced increased revenue and earnings targets for its fiscal fourth quarter ending June 28, 2009. Cree now targets revenue in a range of $143 million to $150 million with GAAP earnings of $0.07 to $0.09 per diluted share and non-GAAP earnings of $0.15 to $0.17 per diluted share, based on an estimated 89 million diluted weighted average shares. Targeted non-GAAP earnings exclude expenses related to the amortization of acquired intangibles of $0.03 per diluted share, and stock-based compensation expense of $0.05 per diluted share.

Cree Inc is "cautiously optimistic" that demand for its products will pick up in the coming months, and it could tap the debt markets to help fund its growth, said Cree’s CEO Chuck Swoboda in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday. With no outstanding debt and more than $400 million in cash, Cree is not currently planning a debt issuance, but it would be better to issue debt before the company was in need of cash, said Swoboda.

At this year’s Lightfair, some LED supplier are peddling their cutting-edge, LED lighting products resorted to trashing — literally — fluorescent and incandescent lamps in their sales pitches.   For instance, a transparent trash pail filled with standard and C.F.L. bulbs was set up at a booth belonging to Digital Light, and. A glowing, LED-powered light stood triumphantly above the refuse.   

LEDinside has recently interviewed Tung Guoqing, Cree Inc.’s general manager of Business Development in China, also authorized representative of Shanghai photoelectricity industry association and director of Chinese semiconductor lighting committee. Either on behalf of the lighting committee, or as Cree’s representative in China, manager Tang has shared with us the most valuable insights in the illumination industry and LED market in China.  

Cree announces a prototype version of the LR6 LED recessed downlight that consumes just 6.5 W of electricity, resulting in 665 lumens, an efficacy of 102 lumens per watt and a power factor greater than 0.9.

Shown at LIGHTFAIR International in New York, the high-efficiency LR6 prototype features TrueWhiteTM technology, resulting in a 92 color rendering index and a 3500 K color temperature.

Cree, Inc. announces it is demonstrating the newest addition to its lighting-class XLamp® LED family—the XLamp XP-G LED—at LIGHTFAIR International in New York, May 5-7, 2009. The cool white XLamp XP-G provides 139 lumens and 132 lumens per Watt at 350 mA. Driven at 1 A, the XP-G produces 345 lumens, which is 37 percent brighter and 53 percent more efficient than the brightest XR-E LED. The XP-G LED has the highest lumen density of any available lighting-class LED, and it is based on the XLamp XP family package.

Cree, Inc. has lately introduced the LRP-38 LED lamp. Now shipping in volume, this light provides a tightly-focused beam, exceptional color quality, extended life and unmatched energy-efficiency.

For the third quarter ended March 29, LED products maker Cree reported earnings of $4.0 million, compared with $5.7 million in the year-ago period, which is above market estimates. And the company has forecasted stronger-than-expected revenue for the fourth quarter.

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S., has joined the LED City Program, a worldwide joint effort initiated by Cree, a leader in the LED industry, to promote and deploy energy-efficient LED lighting all over the world.

In spite of the global economic downturn, demand for LED lighting will continue growing in the next year, forecasted Cree CEO Chuck Swoboda in a Tuesday interview with Reuters.

Recently, LED giant Cree, Inc. has launched the Product Characterization Tool (PCT), an interactive LED design tool that simplifies the task of translating nominal LED performance to real-world conditions. The online tool, accessible via cree’s website, Cree notes PCT allows users to easily characterize any XLamp® LED over a wide range of operating conditions, including drive current, flux bin, price and junction temperature. It also calculates metrics such as lumen output, lumens per watt, lumens per dollar and more.

The winners of the first annual Next Generation Luminaires(tm) competition have been disclosed at Strategies in Light conference(SIL) in Santa Clara, California, February 18-20, 2009. The awards recognize excellence in the design of energy-efficient LED luminaires for general illumination, using white light in commercial lighting applications.

Cree, Inc. announces it will work with both the United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Propulsion Directorate and high-power module pioneer Powerex, Inc., to develop a demonstration dual switch 1200-volt, 100-amp power module featuring all-SiC semiconductors and capable of operating at junction temperatures up to 200 degrees C. The combination of advanced SiC devices and innovative package design allows the module to operate at temperatures beyond those achievable with a silicon IGBT-based module.

Arrow Electronics, Inc. of Melville, New York USA, and Texas Instruments (TI) announce a new series of Analog eLab videocasts on solid-state lighting (SSL). Partnering with Cree, Inc., Arrow and TI will present six new videocasts that share expertise on developing driver solutions for several LED applications.

South Korea's LG Display, announced that it had signed a deal with U.S.-based Cree Inc. to secure supply of LED chips for its flat screen products. LG Display reportedly signed a supply agreement in early January.

LED lighting was a $400 million market in 2008, however, experts predicts that this market will see an impressive compound annual growth rate of 35%, which will cause the market to grow to $1,8 billion by the end of the forecasted period.

Cree, Inc. announced revenue of $147.6 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2009, ended Dec. 28, 2008. This represents a 24% increase compared to revenue of $119.0 million reported for the second quarter of fiscal 2008 and a 5% increase compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2009. Revenue included $5.6 million in patent licensing fees which were not factored into previously announced targets.

Over the past few years, Taiwan LED manufacturers, from chipmakers and packagers to lighting-module and lamp makers, are beginning to see a payoff from energy efficient products. Taiwan has ranked No. 2 in the global LED supplier, with 2008 revenue estimated to reach around US$1.9 billion, or 26% of world’s total.

Cree, Inc.announces that it has entered into an exclusive patent license agreement, subject to some exceptions, with Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (MCC), a well-known and respected materials supplier.

LED lighting has long held the promise of replacing energy-thieving incandescent bulbs without the drawbacks of fluorescent lighting and is finally taking hold in some sectors of the marketplace, says Chuck Swoboda, CEO of Cree Inc.

Intematix Corp., a phosphor-technology powerhouse, has begun to carve out its niche in the global LED lighting market by poaching expertise, acquiring facilities, and upgrading LED know-how. The program began last year, the company has opened its Taiwan subsidiary Intematix Technology Center (ITC) in Taoyuan County, northern Taiwan; acquired a phosphor factory in Suzhou, China; and named Jeff Lagaly, the former Global Sales Director for Cree Lighting, as Vice President of Sales, LED Lighting.

Cree Inc., announces that University of California, Davis is joining the LED University™ program in conjunction with the unveiling of new bi-level LED lighting at UC Davis’ South Entry Parking Structure. The LED light fixtures, featuring activity-sensing technology adapted and developed at California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC) at UC Davis, provide enhanced nighttime visibility while reducing energy consumption by up to 80% compared with the metal-halide fixtures that were replaced.

Cree Inc. announced that it will supply more than 4,200 recessed LED fixtures for part of the Pentagon called Wedge 5. According to Cree, The LEDs are expected to use 22 percent less power than the fluorescent lights they will replace, enough to pay back their extra cost in four years. Cree would not disclose details of the Pentagon contract — it’s part of a long line of government deals for Cree dating back to the company’s founding — but the company said the fixtures retail for about $380 apiece.  

Cree, Inc. reported that Robert Ingram, vice chairman Pharmaceuticals of GlaxoSmithKline, was elected to the Company’s Board of Directors and to the Board’s Compensation and Governance and Nominations Committee beginning December 29, 2008. Robert Ingram does not have the electrical engineering background of some of the board members, but he has gained some notoriety for his role at the pharmaceutical giant.

Cree Inc. has announced that it and Boston University have reached agreement with Bridgelux Inc. to settle the parties’ patent infringement litigation and to dismiss all claims and counterclaims in the suits. As part of the settlement, Bridgelux, a privately held company based in Sunnyvale, Calif., will pay royalties and license fees to settle litigation over patents held by Cree and Boston University.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lighting Research Center (LRC) has enhanced its outreach education by taking the LED Lighting Institute “on the road.” In addition to the traditional three-day seminar held each spring and fall at the LRC, a two-day LED Lighting Institute program option has been added, which will be hosted at a program sponsor site each year.