Press Room

Cree Lighting Names Technika Due Distributor for Italy

DURHAM, NC, JUNE 2, 2005 — Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE), a market leader in LED solid-state lighting components, today announced that it has signed an agreement with Tecnika Due srl to distribute Cree's XLamp™ power LEDs in Italy. Tecnika Due, a distributor and value-added reseller of electronic components and subsystems since 1982, has been representing Cree's energy-saving power components since 2002.

"Tecnika Due is well established in electronics sales in Italy," notes Chris James, Cree vice president, marketing. "Tecnika Due adds tremendous value to our European distribution team."

"We are looking forward to assisting Cree in its aggressive XLamp marketing and sales efforts,"notes Giuliano Cassataro, Tecnika Due product line manager. "Cree XLamp high brightness LEDs are rapidly gaining market acceptance due to unique technical innovations. Tecnika Due can assist customers in evaluating and designing in the industry's brightest one-watt packaged LEDs from Cree."

About Tecnika Due srl
Tecnika Due srl was founded in 1982 as a distributor and value-added reseller of sophisticated electronic components. Headquartered in Vittorio Veneto, Italy, Tecnika Due's well-trained sales and applications professionals assist customers with product selection, design and engineering issues. The company supports its sales efforts with a broad range of promotional and educational presentations, trade shows, seminars and workshops geared toward customers in Italy and Sicily.

About Cree, Inc.
Cree is an advanced semiconductor company that leverages its expertise in silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) materials technology to produce new and enabling semiconductors. The products include blue and green light emitting diodes (LEDs), packaged LEDs, power switching devices and radio frequency (RF) and microwave devices. The company is currently developing near ultraviolet lasers. Target applications for these products include solid-state illumination and backlighting, power switching, wireless infrastructure and optical storage. Cree understands the important convergence of science, technology and creativity, placing high value on ideas, as well as the energy and ability of its people. For additional product specifications, please refer to the data sheets at www.cree.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated. Actual results may differ materially due to a number of factors, such as the rapid development of new technology and competing products that may impair demand or render our products obsolete; the potential lack of customer acceptance for the products; variations in demand for Cree's products and its customers' products; risks relating to international sales such as the impact of currency exchange rate fluctuations; and other factors discussed in Cree's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 27, 2004, and subsequent filings.

Cree and the Cree logo are registered trademarks and XLamp is a trademark of Cree, Inc.

Contact:
Raiford Garrabrant
Director, Investor Relations
Cree, Inc.
(P) 919-313-5397
(F) 919-313-5615
email: raiford_garrabrant@cree.com

Giuliano Cassataro
Tecnika Due srl
(P) +39 (0438)-943211
gcassataro@tecnikadue.com