New orders for semiconductor equipment increased 10.8% to $1.44 billion in April compared to March when orders totaled $1.3 billion, according to trade association SEMI.
Chip-making equipment orders also increased 22.5% from April 2013 when orders totaled $1.17 billion, the association said.
Equipment shipments in April 2014 totaled $1.40 billion, an increase of 14.1% from March when $1.23 billion of equipment shipped, SEMI said. April 2014 shipments also increased 28.7% from April 2013 when billings were $1.09 billion.
The semiconductor manufacturing equipment book-to-bill ratio was 1.03 in April, meaning that equipment manufacturers received $103 in new orders for every $100 of equipment that they shipped.
“Sales of semiconductor manufacturing equipment from North American producers continue to demonstrate strong sequential and year-over-year growth,” said Denny McGuirk, SEMI president and CEO.
“The data through the first quarter reflects momentum in memory, foundry, and back-end spending,” he said.
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.
