Established in 1988, the annual SC conference continues to grow steadily in size and impact each year. Approximately 5,000 people participate in the technical program, with about 11,000 people overall. 

SC has built a diverse community of participants including researchers, scientists, application developers, computing center staff and management, computing industry staff, agency program managers, journalists, and congressional staffers. This diversity is one of the conference's main strengths, making it a yearly "must attend" forum for stakeholders throughout the technical computing community. 

The technical program is the heart of SC. It has addressed virtually every area of scientific and engineering research, as well as technological development, innovation, and education. Its presentations, tutorials, panels, and discussion forums have included breakthroughs in many areas and inspired new and innovative areas of computing.