Wasm GC Isn't Ready for Realtime Graphics

2025-01-18

David Thompson's blog post highlights significant performance issues with Wasm GC in realtime graphics. The core problem stems from the opacity of Wasm GC heap objects to the host JavaScript environment. This necessitates byte-by-byte data copying for WebGL rendering, severely impacting performance. In contrast, Wasm linear memory offers direct JavaScript access and superior efficiency. Thompson explores workarounds, finding none satisfactory. He urges the Wasm community to address these limitations to avoid hindering technologies like WebGPU.

Development Real-time Graphics