The International Workshop on Semiconductor Oxides (IWSO) traces its origin to the International Workshop on Zinc Oxide and Related Materials (IWZnO), which was established in 2000 in Dayton, USA, primarily by researchers from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR).

Since then, the workshop has been held biennially, rotating among regions as follows: the United States (IWZnO2, Dayton, 2002), Asia (IWZnO3, Sendai, Japan, 2004), Europe (IWZnO4, Giessen, Germany, 2006), the United States (IWZnO5, Detroit, 2008), Asia (IWZnO6, Changchun, China, 2010), Europe (IWZnO7, Nice, France, 2012), Canada (IWZnO8, Ontario, 2014), Asia (IWZnO9, Taipei, Taiwan, 2016), and Europe (IWZnO10, Warsaw, Poland, 2018).

Although IWZnO was scheduled to be held in Kentucky, USA, in 2020, the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and its resumption required some time. Subsequently, the International Advisory Committee decided to expand the workshop beyond ZnO and MgZnO to encompass the broader field of oxide semiconductors. As a result, the workshop was revived under the new name IWSO, and IWSO11 was held in March 2025 in Tempe, Arizona, USA.

During IWSO11, the International Advisory Committee discussed the venue for the next workshop to be held in Asia. In recognition of the rapid advancement of oxide semiconductor research in Japan and other Asian countries, as well as the growing research community and strong achievements presented at international conferences, Japan was unanimously selected as the host country.

Regarding the timing, because this workshop shares participants with the International Workshop on Gallium Oxide and Related Materials (IWGO), which focuses on Ga₂O₃ and related group-III oxide semiconductors, it was decided that the two events would alternate in schedule. Consequently, the next IWSO will be held in 2027 in Japan.