Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	May 31, 2012	May 31, 2011	May 31, 2010	May 31, 2009
Income Taxes [Line Items]
Effective tax rate, change fom prior period	0.50%	0.80%
Total gross unrecognized tax benefits, excluding related interest and penalties	$ 285,000,000	$ 212,000,000	$ 282,000,000	$ 274,000,000
Total gross unrecognized tax benefits, excluding related interest and penalties, amount which would affect the Company's effective tax rate if recognized in future periods	165,000,000
Increase in liability for payment of interest and penalties	17,000,000	10,000,000	6,000,000
Accrued interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions (excluding federal benefit)	108,000,000	91,000,000
Estimated decrease in total gross unrecognized tax benefits as a result of resolutions of global tax examinations and expiration of applicable statutes of limitations	58,000,000
Reinvestment of the cumulative undistributed earnings of certain foreign subsidiaries	5,500,000,000
Unrecognized deferred tax liability associated with the indefinitely reinvested undistributed earnings	1,800,000,000
Tax holiday, expiration period	2019
Decrease in income tax expense related to tax holiday	103,000,000	36,000,000
Decrease in income tax expense related to tax holiday per diluted share, (in dollars per share)	$ 0.22	$ 0.07
Valuation allowance related to tax benefits of certain subsidiaries with operating losses	30,000,000	15,000,000
Deferred tax assets for foreign tax credit carry-forwards	216,000,000	236,000,000
Available domestic and foreign loss carry-forwards	247,000,000
Income tax benefits attributable to employee stock-based compensation	$ 120,000,000	$ 68,000,000	$ 57,000,000
Minimum
Income Taxes [Line Items]
Deferred tax assets for foreign tax credit carry-forwards, expiration date	2020
Maximum
Income Taxes [Line Items]
Deferred tax assets for foreign tax credit carry-forwards, expiration date	2022
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Income Taxes [Line Items]
Years under examination	Currently under audit by the Internal Revenue Service for the 2011 tax year.