About the ACM Organization

ACM brings together computing educators, researchers, and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources, and address the field's challenges. As the world’s largest computing society, ACM strengthens the 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.

Founded at the dawn of the computer age, ACM’s reach extends to every part of the globe, with more than half of its more than 100,000 members residing outside the U.S.  Its growing membership has led to Councils in Europe, India, and China, fostering networking opportunities that strengthen ties within and across countries and technical communities.  Their actions enhance ACM’s ability to raise awareness of computing’s important technical, educational, and social issues around the world. 

Special Interest Groups Form around ACM’s Powerful, Vibrant Communities

Networking opportunities in ACM’s 38 Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are always expanding, reflecting the growth of computing’s discrete disciplines and technical communities. The leading representatives of their fields, ACM SIGs sponsor annual conferences, workshops, and symposia serving practitioner‐ and research‐based constituencies. Because they provide objective arenas for novel, often competing ideas, many of these meetings have become premier global events.

Chapters: ACM's "Local Neighborhoods"

ACM’s broad‐based infrastructure supports more than 860 professional and student chapters worldwide. These "local neighborhoods" offer opportunities for members to gain access to critical research and establish personal networking systems.

ACM, Member-driven, Volunteer-led

ACM offers volunteer opportunities for members and non‐members that create networking possibilities and enhance career development.  At the grassroots level, ACM volunteers serve a growing international community of researchers, practitioners and students by lending valuable assistance at conferences, publications, webinars, and other events.

Volunteers have a direct and critical impact on ACM’s governance through the ACM Council, the highest governing authority.  Volunteers also serve on the ACM Executive Committee and numerous other boards and task forces.

Volunteers – members and non-members alike – hold leadership roles in ACM journal publications as Editors‐in‐Chief, Associate Editors, and reviewers.  They also comprise the ACM Education Board, which provides curriculum recommendations for four‐year universities as well as community colleges. The Board’s 2013 recommendations in computer science have even been translated into Chinese.

ACM’s "Big Tent" Philosophy Embraces Diversity

The ACM community is as diverse as the subfields that comprise computer science, from educators and researchers in academia to practitioners in project management, industrial research, and software development, engineering, and application design.

This diversity extends to their gender and ethnicities. The ACM Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council coordinates and promotes diversity, equity and inclusion efforts throughout the organization. The ACM Women’s Committee (ACM‐W) advocates internationally for full engagement of women in all aspects of computing. The ACM‐sponsored Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing brings together students, faculty, researchers, and professionals from all backgrounds.  It provides a supportive networking environment for under‐represented groups across a range of computing and information technology fields.

Supporting Tomorrow’s Problem Solvers Today

ACM Student Chapters enable students to fully engage in its professional activities. Participants from more than 500 colleges and universities worldwide enhance their learning through the exchange of ideas with other students and established professionals.

ACM offers $1.5 million in scholarships and an affordable Student Membership.  Both undergraduate and graduate student members can compete in ACM Student Research Competitions, an internationally recognized venue hosted at ACM conferences and sponsored by Microsoft.  They benefit by sharing their research with peers and academic and industry luminaries, gaining recognition and experience, and earning rewards.

Giving Credit where Credit Is Due

ACM recognizes excellence through its eminent awards for technical and professional achievements and contributions in computer science and information technology. It also names as Fellows and Distinguished Members those members who, in addition to professional accomplishments, have made significant contributions to ACM's mission.

ACM's prestigious A.M. Turing Award is accompanied by a $1 million prize provided by Google for contributions of lasting and major technical importance to the computing field.  Other prominent ACM awards recognize achievements by young computing professionals, educators, theoretical computer scientists, software systems innovators, and pioneers who have made humanitarian and cross-discipline contributions.

Providing Tireless Advocacy of Critical Public Policy Issues

ACM leverages its international respect and leadership to shape public policy worldwide. Through its geographically distributed policy entities in Europe and North America, ACM helps develop policy statements, issue briefs, white papers, and reports to provide policymakers with knowledge‐based analysis that accelerates computing innovations which benefit society.   It also delivers expertise on education policy, women in computing, and diversification of computing.

ACM Publications - Advancing Research, Technology, and Innovation

As a leading global source for scientific information, ACM promotes computer research and innovation through its journals, magazines, and the proceedings of more than 170 annual conferences and symposia.  ACM authors are among the world's leading thinkers in computing and information technologies, providing original research and firsthand perspectives.

ACM also provides access to the ACM Digital Library (DL), a comprehensive and expanding database of literature and detailed bibliographic resources for computing professionals from a wide range of publishers. The DL currently includes more than 600,000 full-text articles authored by leading researchers in computing. The flagship magazine Communications of the ACM provides industry news, commentary, observations, and practical research.

Guiding Members with a Framework of Ethical Conduct

The ACM Code of Ethics identifies the elements of every member’s commitment to ethical professional conduct.  It outlines fundamental considerations that contribute to society and human well-being and those that specifically relate to professional responsibilities, organizational imperatives, and compliance with the code.