Multi-Air is not specifically for HCCI, although being able to control valve lift and duration sounds like a necessity for HCCI. Multi-Air is a variable valve lift and duration system, and IMO it's much more advanced than Valvetronic. It allows variable lift and duration, but it can also alter the cam profile, which Valvetronic can't do. Multi-air is one small step from going camless.
I brought it up because it's been in development for 15 years and it's just now reaching production. I thought it's a good comparisonto you saying there were HCCI prototypes in the late '90's.