St. Petersburg National Research University of IT, Mechanics and Optics Wins Highly Competitive IBM-Sponsored “Battle of the Brains”

Three students from the host university St. Petersburg National Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics (ITMO) have emerged as World Champions of the 37th Annual World Finals of the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) sponsored by IBM (NYSE: IBM), taking home their fifth championship. Known as the Battle of the Brains, the world’s oldest and most prestigious programming competition challenged 120 university teams to solve complex real-world problems under a strict five hour deadline.

The contest exposed students to key emerging trends and capabilities, such as applying analytics technology to Big Data – a major economic growth engine and career opportunity worldwide.

In a test of teamwork, speed and skill, the contest challenged students to solve the most number of computer programming problems in the least amount of time. Demonstrating their elite problem solving and programming skills, St. Petersburg National Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics successfully solved ten problems in five hours. The World Champions have won "The World’s Smartest Trophy," as well as awards and offers of employment or internships with IBM.

"As one of the leading technology companies in the world, IBM recognizes the importance of providing opportunities and inspiration for students to embrace the latest in technology evolution and hone their skills for a global workforce," said Doug Heintzman, Director of Strategy for IBM Software Group and Sponsorship Executive of the ICPC. "This competition brings together the best and brightest from the world’s leading universities. We look forward to offering some of these extraordinary problem solvers internships and employment at IBM where they will help build a smarter, more efficient planet."

In addition to the contest, participants had the opportunity to explore some of the technologies made in IBM’s Research and Development Labs, and network with world-leading technology experts. Excursions to some of St. Petersburg’s cultural hotspots, including the Hermitage Museum and the Peter and Paul Fortress, completed this once-in-a-lifetime experience. "The ACM-ICPC is a wonderful opportunity for students from around the world to come together, collaborate, and exchange different views and experiences," said Dr. Bill Poucher, ICPC Executive Director and Baylor University Professor. "I am excited to see how these students will utilize the amazing knowledge they’ve gained from this contest and from one another as they continue their academic and professional pursuits."

Shanghai Jiao Tong University, The University of Tokyo, and National Taiwan University finished the competition in second, third, and fourth places, all earning the coveted gold medals.

The regional champions are Carnegie Mellon University (North America Region); ITMO (Europe Region); Arab Academy for Science and Technology (Alexandria) (Africa and the Middle East Region); Instituto Tecnologico de Aeronautica (Latin America Region); Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Asia Region); and University of New South Wales (South Pacific Region).

This year’s top twelve teams that received medals are:

• St. Petersburg National Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics (ITMO) (GOLD, WORLD CHAMPION)
  
• Shanghai Jiao Tong University (GOLD, 2nd Place)
  
• The University of Tokyo (GOLD, 3rd Place)
  
• National Taiwan University (GOLD, 4th Place)
  
• St. Petersburg State University (SILVER, 5th Place)
  
• University of Warsaw (SILVER, 6th Place)
  
• Taras Shevchenko Kiev National University (SILVER, 7th Place)
  
• Belarusian State University (SILVER, 8th Place)
  
• Jagiellonian University in Krakow (BRONZE, 9th Place)
  
• Moscow State University (BRONZE, 10th Place)
  
• Carnegie Mellon Univeristy (BRONZE, 11th Place)
  
• Tsinghua University (BRONZE, 12th Place)
  
• Perm State University (BRONZE, 13th Place)

The 120 teams that competed in the World Finals emerged from local and regional ICPC competitions held this past fall. Initially, selection took place from a field of more than 300,000 students in computing disciplines worldwide. A record number of students advanced to the regional level, as 29,479 contestants from 2,322 universities in 91 countries on 6 continents competed at more than 300 sites, all with the goal of earning one of the coveted 120 invitations to St. Petersburg.