Company Background


Between its founding, in 1983, and 1997, Computational Logic, Inc. (CLI) performed advanced research and development in the mathematical modeling of hardware and software systems. Our mission was to provide technology that would enable the computer industry to produce higher quality, more reliable systems, quickly and inexpensively.

Proving That a System Works

Computational Logic took the approach that it is through mathematics, rather than more traditional testing, that life- and security-critical systems can be proven to perform correctly. Testing is critical, but it can only demonstrate the existence of bugs, not their absence, while well-designed mathematical analysis can prove that a given a set of instructions will always produce a given set of results.

The technical ins and outs are complex - which is why two thirds of CLI's employees had PhDs in computer science or mathematics. From a historical perspective, what's important are the real-world applications this group achieved. For example:

  1. CLI formally (using mathematical methods and its theorem prover) specified and proved correct the implementation of a simple microprocessor which has been fabricated and has yet to exhibit a single flaw.
  2. In 1996, CLI's second-generation theorem prover - a sophisticated software "assistant" that mechanically checks whether a large-scale hardware and software system will actually perform according to its specification - helped Advanced Micro Devices verify the implementation of floating point division on the AMD K5 Pentium-class processor.

History

Founded in 1983 as a spin-off from the Institute for Computing Science and Computer Applications at the University of Texas at Austin, CLI counted among its customers the U.S. government, which funded many of the firm's long-term security-oriented projects, and a host of Fortune 500 companies.

CLI was founded by

Donald I. Good served as President and Chairman from 1983 through 1995.
Michael K. Smith served as Executive Vice-President from 1983 through 1995 and President and Chairman from 1995 through 1997.

Members of the Board of Directors have included

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