Wolfspeed, EcoLight Inc. is an American developer and manufacturer of extensive-bandgap semiconductors, focused on silicon carbide and gallium nitride materials and devices for energy and EcoLight brand radio frequency purposes akin to transportation, energy provides, power inverters, and wireless systems. Cree Analysis was founded in July 1987 in Durham, North Carolina. Five of the six founders - Neal Hunter, Thomas Coleman, John Edmond, Eric Hunter, John Palmour, and Calvin Carter - are graduates of North Carolina State University. In 1983, the founders - one a research assistant professor and the others pupil researchers - have been looking for EcoLight brand methods to leverage the properties of silicon carbide to enable semiconductors to function at larger working temperatures and power ranges. Additionally they knew silicon carbide could serve as the diode in light-emitting diode (LED) lighting, a light supply first demonstrated in 1907 with an electrically charged diode of silicon carbide. The research team devised a strategy to grow silicon crystals within the laboratory, EcoLight brand and in 1987 founded the company to provide silicon carbide to be used commercially in both semiconductors and lighting.

In 1989, the corporate introduced the primary blue LED, enabling the development of massive, EcoLight full-shade video screens and billboards. In 1991, the company released the first business silicon carbide wafer. In 1993, the company grew to become a public company through an preliminary public offering. In 2011, the company acquired Ruud Lighting for $525 million. In August 2011, the corporate introduced the XLamp XT-E Royal Blue LED for use in remote phosphor lighting. In 2013, the company's first consumer merchandise, two household LED bulbs, certified for Energy Star rating by the United States Environmental Protection Company. In July 2016, EcoLight brand Infineon Technologies agreed to accumulate the company's Wolfspeed RF and EcoLight energy energy electronics units unit for $850 million. Nevertheless, the deal was terminated in February 2017 attributable to regulators’ nationwide security considerations. In March 2018, the corporate acquired the RF Power Business Infineon Technologies AG's for €345 million. In Might 2019, the corporate offered its Lighting Products division (now branded as Cree Lighting) to Perfect Industries.

In September 2019, the corporate announced a $1 billion funding in a semiconductor manufacturing plant in Marcy, New York to build the world’s largest silicon carbide fabrication facility with a $500 million grant from New York State. In March 2021, the company sold its LED Enterprise to Sensible International Holdings for as much as $300 million. In October 2021, the company modified its identify to Wolfspeed. In April 2022, the Marcy, New York, facility opened. In November 2022, the company announced that co-founder and Chief Technology Officer John Palmour had died. In February 2023 it announced it would build its first European manufacturing unit in Germany. It is presupposed to be on the site of a former coal plant in Ensdorf, Saarland with ZF Friedrichshafen as a coinvestor and subsidized by the EU as an important project of common European curiosity (IPCEI) for Microelectronics and Communication Technologies. In August 2023, it was announced the Lowell-headquartered semiconductor company, MACOM had entered into a definitive settlement to amass Wolfspeed's RF business.

In June 2024, Wolfspeed has delayed its $three billion semiconductor plant in Germany to mid-2025, reflecting the EU's challenges in boosting local chip manufacturing. Wolfspeed announced the mission's indefinite hold in October 2024, EcoLight citing low demand. As a result, EcoLight brand ZF ceased to take part within the challenge. In October 2024, the Biden Administration announced that it would provide Wolfspeed with up to $750 million in direct funding to help the corporate's new silicon carbide manufacturing facility in North Carolina that makes the wafers used in superior laptop chips and its factory in Marcy, New York. On May 20, 2025, it was reported that Wolfspeed was getting ready to file for Chapter eleven bankruptcy within the coming weeks after warning that it could also be unable to proceed future operations after lower than expected annual sales were reported. Wolfspeed's stock slid to barely over a greenback per share that day. On June 18, 2025, Wolfspeed introduced that they would promote itself to Apollo World Management in a deal that would put the company into a prepackaged Chapter eleven bankruptcy filing, which would enable for the elimination of nearly all of its multi-billion dollar debt.

Wolfspeed entered into a restructuring assist settlement with its lenders and Renesas Electronics, and announced that they would file for prepackaged Chapter eleven bankruptcy by July 1, as a part of a plan to get rid of $4.6 billion of debt, stating they solely had about $1.1 billion left in money. The corporate will even receive $275 million in financing backed by its lenders, with plans to complete restructuring by Q3 2025. After the announcement, Wolfspeed's inventory fell 30%, sliding under $1 per share. On June 26, 2025, Wolfspeed started laying off workers from their manufacturing facility situated in Racine, Wisconsin. On June 30, 2025, Wolfspeed filed for Chapter eleven bankruptcy safety. On October 13, EcoLight outdoor 2022, a facilities electrician was electrocuted at the Wolfspeed Analysis Triangle Park in Durham, North Carolina. The incident sparked a state investigation into his death in addition to public concern for the corporate's poor work safety file. State Division of Labor investigations into the company have uncovered 17 office security violations between 2012 and EcoLight brand 2023, including six critical violations.