Michael (Mac) McNamara was an early employee of Chronologic Simulation, a company which brought VCS (compiled Verilog simulation) to the world. Chronologic was inspired work at Ardent Computer where they were using Verilog-XL to verify the computer systems they were designing but were frustrated by the slowness of commercial simulators.
After selling Chronologic to Viewlogic in 1994 (and then to Synopsys) McNamara recognized the next barrier to productivity was the lack of automation in verification. SureFire Verification was founded in 1996 to develop tools for measuring test coverage, perform static verification as well as to do automatic test generation. This was sold to verisity.
After Cadence acquired Verisity, McNamara led the effort to improve high level design developing the C-to-Silicon Compiler and the Virtual Systems Platform tools.
In 2009, John Sanguinetti established a company called HighIP Design, focused on applying high-level synthesis to the creation of digital IP. McNamara liked the idea but believed that additional customer value, and IP production efficiencies could be realized by applying the complete TLM design and verification methodology. The company was renamed Adapt-IP, recognizing that most customers interested in purchasing IP would want some customizations, and would need these verified.
Adapt-IP acquired Vreelin a developer of integrated circuit IP and device drivers on contract for companies including IBM, Conexant and FWB, making devices including USB V.90 modem, USB ADSL modem, as well as supplying USB 2.0 Highspeed FPGA cores for many customer-specific projects over the past two decades.
McNamara has served on the DAC Executive Committee, and on the Design Automation Standards Committee of the IEEE.
BS in Electrical Engineering and MEng in Computer Architecture from Cornell University
