Accelerating Embedded WebAssembly Based on FPGA

In modern society, the utilization of WebAssembly (WASM) is steadily increasing. WASM is a standard format that allows the execution of code written in high-level languages such as C, C++, and Rust within web browsers. This enables a significant improvement in the performance of web applications. However, despite the potential of WASM, its performance is significantly degraded in resource-constrained environments, such as embedded systems. To address this issue, this study has designed and implemented a hardware architecture to accelerate the execution of WASM. The proposed WASM accelerator achieved up to 70 times performance improvement over conventional methods, thereby opening new possibilities for efficiently running WASM-based applications in embedded systems. This paper provides a detailed introduction to the architecture and implementation process of the WASM accelerator, as well as the results of its performance evaluation.

I. Introduction

The widespread utilization of the internet plays a crucial role in the various technological advancements of modern society. In the field of web development, JavaScript has established itself as a key language among developers due to its high flexibility and compatibility across web browsers. However, as the complexity and performance requirements of web applications continue to increase, situations have arisen where JavaScript alone is insufficient to deliver the desired performance. Against this backdrop, WebAssembly (WASM), which emerged in 2017, has attracted attention as a new attempt to transcend the limitations of existing web technologies. WASM possesses several features; it operates as a stack machine and functions in a load-time efficient binary format, as illustrated in Figure 1. Furthermore, WASM is designed as a portable compilation target for programming languages, enabling deployment on the web for both client and server applications. Through this approach, WASM offers the advantages of low loading times, high execution speed, and language independence. Consequently, it is gradually becoming an important tool in web development alongside JavaScript [1]. These internet technologies are widely utilized not only in CPUs but also in various embedded systems. Particularly, fields such as the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) and the Internet of Things (IoT) are gaining attention and experiencing an increasing trend in usage and necessity [2]. Moreover, fast internet connectivity is essential for these technologies to operate more effectively and be interconnected.