INFITT was launched in an international conference in Singapore in 2000 as the outcome of a coordinated initiative at the Govt. Level of various countries where Tamil enjoys special status as “official” language or have a large Tamil Diaspora residence. In India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore and Canada for example Tamil is an official language while in North America, Western Europe (including UK) and Australia have a large Tamil Diaspora residence.

Tamil Internet Conferences bring together scholars and researchers working in Tamil Information Technology from across the world for active discussion and learning. The main aspect of the conferences are the technical section with paper presentations and group discussions. Some conferences held in locations with significant Tamil population may also have two additional sections, namely, Public Gallery (மக்கள் அரங்கம்), and Exhibition. The Conference  series began in Singapore in 1997.