International Collegiate Programming Contest Spotlights Cloud Computing

WACO, Texas, Nov. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Tens of thousands of students from universities across the globe are vying for a coveted invitation to the World Finals of the 38^th annual ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), sponsored by IBM (NYSE: IBM).  

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Known as the Battle of the Brains, the IBM-Sponsored ACM-ICPC challenges university students to solve complex real-world problems using advanced computing methods under a grueling five-hour deadline. In five hours, these students will complete an entire semester's worth of computer programming. This year, the contest also exposes students to key emerging industry trends and capabilities, such as cloud computing, a major economic growth engine and development opportunity for students.

Today, cloud computing has become an invisible thread impacting countless industries by bringing all key information together. For example, thousands of doctors and hospitals are connecting to revolutionize patient care across healthcare organizations; retailers are accessing intelligent networks to build a mobile marketplace and capture business wherever customers roam; and universities are creating new virtual learning environments to inspire a generation to pursue ideas without limitations. The power of cloud is unprecedented, enabling businesses and organizations to take speed, agility and innovation to previously unimaginable levels.

"Cloud computing presents an immense career opportunity for the world's sharpest computing minds competing at the ICPC," said David Barnes, Program Director of Emerging Internet Technologies at IBM. "As a global leader in cloud computing and sponsor of the ICPC, each year IBM recruits top computing talent from the contest. We hope that the opportunity to join the world's finest cloud computing team, or our company in another capacity, will pique the interest of these innovative minds and result in long, prosperous careers with IBM."

Regional qualifying contests are already underway in the United States and will continue through December. Following the regional rounds, only 18 to 20 United States universities will be a part of the 120 elite three-person teams from around the world to advance to the World Finals. The final contest will take place June 22-26, 2014, and will be hosted by Ural Federal University in Ekaterinburg, Russia.    

"Preparation for the ICPC is relentless, but its impact on productivity and opportunity lasts a lifetime," said Dr. Bill Poucher, ICPC Executive Director and Baylor University Professor of Computer Science. "These students are dauntless problem solvers. We aim for them to inspire each other to raise the bar for global technological innovation as they move into their careers with top industry players like IBM."

Considered the largest and most prestigious computer programming competition in the world, the Battle of the Brains reaches tens of thousands of students from more than 2,300 universities in 91 countries on six continents. Since IBM began sponsoring the contest in 1997, participation has grown more than 1,100 percent. During the 2012-2013 contest, nearly 30,000 students participated in the regionals portion alone.

The 2013 World Finals were held in St. Petersburg, Russia.  Students from St. Petersburg National Research University ITMO, the host university, captured their record-setting fifth world championship.

More than 400 schools from the United States are participating in regional qualifying contests. A complete list of schools can be found at http://icpc.baylor.edu/regionals/finder/north-america-2013. 

For more information about the contest, follow ICPCNews on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, using #ICPC2014.

For IBM's take on the latest industry trends and the ICPC, follow Battle of the Brains on Twitter and YouTube, and listen to podcasts with IBM and ICPC executives on Podbean.

For more information about IBM, visit http://www.ibm.com/software and http://www.ibm.com/university.

About the ACM-ICPC
Headquartered at Baylor University, the ACM-ICPC is a global competition among the world's university students, nurturing new generations of talent in the science and art of information technology.

About ACM
ACM is the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting computing educators, researchers and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources and address the field's challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession's collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long learning, career development, and professional networking.

About IBM
IBM is the world's largest information technology and service provider. IBM has 35,000 software engineers in more than 90 research and development laboratories around the globe, who focus on solving real-world business issues for clients in more than 170 countries. IBM invests in high business values and strategic markets such as Big Data, Social Business, Mobile Computing and Cloud Computing. IBM provides industry solutions in areas such as smarter cities, smarter commerce, health care, energy, finance, communications, public service, transportation, manufacturing and many others.  For more information, visit http://www.ibm.com/software.

Media Contact:
Chas Kurtz
Tierney Communications 
(215) 790-4386
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SOURCE IBM