WebAssembly is a general-purpose low-level virtual machine. It was the first programming language to be introduced to the Web since JavaScript, and has since been adopted in many other environments, such as edge and cloud computing, mobile computing, blockchains, and embedded systems. Unusually for an industrial language, WebAssembly’s normative specification is stated fully in terms of a pen-and-paper formal semantics. In addition, multiple mechanisations of this semantics have been created and used to prove the soundness of the WebAssembly type system.

The rigor of WebAssembly’s semantics presents new opportunities for researchers in Programming Languages to apply their craft to a widely-used industry technology. This WebAssembly Workshop (WAW) intends to create a space where new ideas for such research can be brainstormed, and where ongoing research work related to WebAssembly can be discussed, critiqued, and iterated on. We also hope to familiarize researchers with the successes and challenges of WebAssembly’s design and specification from an industrial point of view, thereby empowering them to influence the future direction of the language.

WAW has previously run at POPL 2024 and POPL 2025.

Accepted Papers

Call for Presentations

We invite the submission of abstracts and extended abstracts describing a WebAssembly-related topic for presentation at the workshop. Since this workshop will not publish formal proceedings, we welcome submissions based on prior and ongoing work.

Submissions may be made either in text or PDF form through our HotCRP site (https://waw2025sg.hotcrp.com/). Text submissions are limited to 500 words, while PDF submissions may be up to 2 pages in length, not including references. All submissions will be considered equally for presentation, without bias towards either format. We encourage authors to use a standard ACM template for PDF submissions.

The review process will be lightweight — after the review period authors will receive a single feedback comment on behalf of the Program Committee, confirming the acceptance status of their submission. While we can support a limited number of remote speakers, the selection process will favour submissions that can be presented in-person.

Andreas Rossberg

Andreas Rossberg is an independent researcher and engineer who has been oscillating between academia and industry. By a few twists of fate, he became one of the designers of WebAssembly, author of its formalisation and specification, and champion of various proposals for enhancement. His research interests broadly revolve around programming languages, ranging from design, over implementation, to foundational theory, as long as they aren’t too ugly.

Oscar Spencer

Oscar Spencer is a strong advocate for WebAssembly, working to bring programmable apps to the masses at F5. He also serves as a member of the Bytecode Alliance Technical Steering Committee and is a co-creator of the Grain programming language.

Chris Woods

Chris Woods is a Senior Key Expert at Siemens, where he has been leading Siemen’s WebAssembly engagement. He is a leading proponent of WebAssembly’s use in embedded systems. Chris was a founding member of the WebAssembly research center at Carnegie Mellon University and founded the WASI Embedded Special Interest group where he is co-chair. Chris presents regularly on WebAssembly at WasmCon and other venues. He represents Siemens on WebAssembly at the W3C and is a contributor to the WebAssembly Micro Runtime. Chris’ work focuses on making sure that WebAssembly is widely adopted, and in particular can support industrial control and IoT related workloads.