By 1997, it was apparent that the IA-64 architecture and the compiler were much more difficult to implement than originally thought, and the delivery timeframe of Merced began slipping.
1997. aastaks selgus, et IA-64 arhitektuuril kompilaatori rakendamine oli palju keerulisem kui algul arvatud ning Mercedi väljastamist lükati edasi.