North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.61 billion in orders worldwide in May 2012 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.05, according to the May Book-to-Bill Report published today by SEMI. A book-to-bill of 1.05 means that $105 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in May 2012 was $1.61 billion. The bookings figure is 0.6 percent higher than the final April 2012 level of $1.60 billion, and is 0.7 percent lower than the May 2011 order level of $1.62 billion.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in May 2012 was $1.54 billion. The billings figure is 5.3 percent more than the final April 2012 level of $1.46 billion, and is 8.0 percent less than the May 2011 billings level of $1.67 billion.

Worldwide orders for new semiconductor equipment from North American-based manufacturers have continued to increase over the past year as chip makers add capacity and process technology to meet demand driven by mobile products, smart phones and tablets, said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO at SEMI. Bookings a re at the highest levels since May 2011 and this is the fourth consecutive month that new orders have outpaced billings.

The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving averages of worldwide bookings and billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Billings and bookings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars.

The data contained in this release were compiled by David Powell, Inc., an independent financial services firm, without audit, from data submitted directly by the participants. SEMI and David Powell, Inc. assume no responsibility for the accuracy of the underlying data.

The data are contained in a monthly Book-to-Bill Report published by SEMI. The report tracks billings and bookings worldwide of North American-headquartered manufacturers of equipment used to manufacture semiconductor devices, not billings and bookings of the chips themselves. The Book-to-Bill report is one of three reports included with the Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS).

SEMI is the global industry association serving the nano- and micro-electronic manufacturing supply chains. SEMI member companies are the engine of the future, enabling smarter, faster and more economical products that improve our lives. Since 1970, SEMI has been committed to helping members grow more profitably, create new markets and meet common industry challenges. SEMI maintains offices in Beijing, Bengaluru, Berlin, Brussels, Grenoble, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.semi.org.