Seems even with the lower speed and number of usable SPE's cut down from 8 to 7 IBM are still having trouble getting them manufactured.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060712-7248.html
or for a more tabloid take on it > http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=32978
I can see a further delay on the horizon.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060712-7248.html
Tom Reeves, VP of semiconductor and technology services at IBM, openly admitted that only one of every five Cell CPUs rolling out of their fabs is fully functional with regards to all eight Synergistic Processing Elements. In an interview with Electronics News, Reeves said "With a chip like the Cell processor, you’re lucky to get 10 or 20 percent [yield]. If you put logic redundancy on it, you can double that." His comments suggest that Sony's effective yield should be closer to 20 to 40 percent, since the PlayStation 3 only requires 7 functional SPEs (6 for the heavy lifting, one for the system).
or for a more tabloid take on it > http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=32978
I can see a further delay on the horizon.