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Abstract Decides to Quit Opposing approaches force closure fremont, calif. and uxbridge, middlesex, u.k. -- In less than seven months, Abstract Inc. went from the recipient of a $5 million Intel investment to a mainstream model checking vendor to nothing at all. The formal verification software supplier decided last week to shutter its U.S. and U.K. offices, said Mek Rahmani, president/CEO. He will spend the next two weeks finalizing its closure, including finding a home for the company's theorem proving intellectual property. Abstract's end was in stark contrast to the company's prospects in February when Intel opted to invest in the company (EN, Feb. 16). The two companies were believed to be working together on advancing theorem proving, a high-end formal verification technology believed to be years from commercial potential. Signs that the company was in trouble appeared in August, however, when Abstract split with its founder Gerry Musgrave, who had served as chairman and restructured the organization. The divorce boiled down to polarized views over which direction to take the fledgling formal verification company. Mr. Rahmani wished to steer Abstract into the more commercial model checking and equivalency checking market, while Mr. Musgrave is said to have preferred keeping the company focused on its more academic and high-end theorem-proving niche. The board endorsed Mr. Rahmani's proposal. Mr. Rahmani's plans necessitated an even greater shift of Abstract's engineering talent to Silicon Valley. Mr. Rahmani said the restructuring would take place over the next three to six months and involve "pretty much most of" Abstract's U.K. engineering team. Last year, Abstract moved half of its engineering team to the Valley to be closer to its desired customer base. Mr. Rahmani sought to globalize what had unintentionally been a European-centric company with only European customers."This is where the center of gravity is, in the Valley," said Mr. Rahmani at the time. Under its new direction, Abstract would focus its efforts on creating a front-end to Siemens' equivalency checking and model checking engines which Mr. Rahmani described last week as "fantastic" in a telephone interview from the U.K. The two companies started working together roughly three years ago, Mr. Rahmani sought to accelerate this work. But, two problems plagued Abstract's transition to the mainstream market, lack of a cohesive design strategy (building a front end to Siemens' technology) and the need for a faster development pace not married to academia, but the market. Based upon these persistent hurdles, Mr. Rahmani informed the board that he would be leaving Abstract. The decision alerted investors and led to Abstract's board questioning the company's viability. As an acknowledged by-product of his planned departure, Mr. Rahmani said the board determined to close Abstract's doors. Mr. Rahmani is currently sewing up loose ends in Europe, including the future support of Abstract's European customer base. The model checker and equivalency checker will revert back to Siemens' control. Abstract is ruminating over what to do with its Lambda, theorem proving tool and its accompanying intellectual property. Whether the tool will find its way back in academia or at another company remains to be determined. |