Cree, Inc.  announced yesterday (Nov. 9) an agreement to purchase a 592,000-square-foot facility in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China. The facility will be Cree’s first chip-production facility outside of North America and is targeted to also house future components manufacturing expansion.

“This investment enables us to expand our presence in China and demonstrates our commitment to serving the growing demands of both our local and global LED customers,” said Chuck Swoboda, Cree chairman and CEO. “We are building on a solid foundation in Huizhou with a strong local management team and a history of manufacturing excellence. We look forward to continued success in China as we drive the LED lighting revolution.”

More than half of Cree’s employees work in China, mostly at the current Huizhou factory. Cree recognizes the support of Party Secretary YeBin Huang and Mayor RuQiu Li during the site selection process.

Cree also announced that Huizhou is joining the Cree LED City® program, an international initiative aimed at promoting the deployment of energy-efficient LED lighting. Huizhou has completed several LED streetlight trials and is in the process of deploying LED streetlights in the ZhongKai Hightech Industrial Zone.