SAN JOSE, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 08/19/08 -- North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $905 million in orders in July 2008 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.83 according to the July 2008 Book-to-Bill Report published today by SEMI. A book-to-bill of 0.83 means that $83 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in July 2008 was $905 million. The bookings figure is three percent less than the final June 2008 level of $934 billion, and about 36 percent less than the $1.41 billion in orders posted in July 2007.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in July 2008 was $1.09 billion. The billings figure is about six percent less than the final June 2008 level of $1.16 billion, and about 36 percent less than the July 2007 billings level of $1.69 billion.

"Orders for semiconductor equipment continue reflect the pronounced cutback in capital expenditures this year and are at the lowest levels since November of 2003," said Daniel Tracy, senior director of Industry Research and Statistics at SEMI. "While chip-makers remain attentive to cost controls, this remains a highly cyclic industry. Factory utilization levels, unit demand growth and planned fab projects suggest that new investment activity will resume in 2009."

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.

                       Billings             Bookings             Book-to-Bill
                      (Three-month avg.)   (Three-month avg.)
February 2008          1,310.8              1,205.4              0.92
March 2008             1,344.9              1,165.6              0.87
April 2008             1,337.3              1,090.3              0.82
May 2008               1,313.0              1,029.3              0.78
June 2008 (final)      1,159.8              934.2                0.81
July 2008 (prelim.)    1,087.4              904.8                0.83

Source: SEMI August 2008

The data contained in this release was 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.

SEMI is the global industry association serving the manufacturing supply chains for the microelectronic, display and photovoltaic industries. 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 Austin, Beijing, Brussels, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.semi.org.

Editors Note:

Next SEMI Book-to-Bill: September 18, 2008; 3:00 p.m. PDT

For information on SEAJ Book-to-Bill Report, visit www.seaj.or.jp