WebGPU and WebAssembly (Wasm) are the two technologies that make the modern web fast, GPU-accelerated, and capable of running AI models locally—something impossible just a few years ago.

1) WebGPU — The Next-Gen Graphics & Compute API

What is WebGPU?

WebGPU is the new GPU API for the browser, meant to replace WebGL.
It works similarly to Vulkan, Metal, and DirectX 12, giving low-level access to the graphics card.

Why WebGPU matters in 2025

• 5–10× faster than WebGL

• Native GPU compute (critical for AI models)

• Can run LLMs and image models directly in the browser

• Modern, clean API

• Better security and performance tuning

What WebGPU is used for

• Running AI models (LLMs, image generation, vision)

• Real-time 3D graphics

• Browser-based games

• Medical/architectural 3D tools

• Image/video processing

• Scientific simulations

Browser support

• Chrome

• Edge

• Safari ⚠partial

• Firefox ⚠experimental

2) WebAssembly (Wasm) — Near-Native Performance on the Web

What is WebAssembly?

WebAssembly is a binary format that allows languages like C, C++, Rust, and Go to run in the browser at near-native speed, inside a secure sandbox.

It’s the key technology that allows heavy, native-style applications to run in browsers.

Why WebAssembly matters

• Extremely fast execution

• Memory-safe and sandboxed

• Portable across all browsers

• Works with multithreading

• Ideal for AI, games, simulations, and heavy UI apps

Typical WebAssembly use cases

• Game engines (Unity, Unreal)

• AI inference engines (ONNX Runtime Web, WebLLM)

• Video / photo editors

• CAD and 3D modelling tools

• Scientific computing

• Python, Rust, or C++ running inside a website

3) WebGPU + WebAssembly = High-Performance Web

Together, they enable native-level applications in the browser, without plugins.

WebAssembly handles:

• Core logic

• Heavy math

• AI inference engines

• Physics

• Simulations

WebGPU handles:

• Rendering

• GPU shaders

• Compute kernels

• GPU acceleration for AI

Combined, they enable:

• Stable Diffusion running entirely in the browser

• Llama 3 or Mistral models on local GPU via WebGPU

• Blender-like apps natively in Chrome

• AAA-style browser games

• Real-time video analysis + AI

Nothing to install. Everything runs in the browser.

4) WebGPU vs WebGL

WebGPU replaces WebGL for any high-performance use case.

5) WebAssembly + Rust = The Best Combo

Rust has become one of the most popular languages for WebAssembly workloads.

Why Rust + Wasm is so strong

• Memory safe

• Fast

• Great tooling (wasm-bindgen, wasm-pack)

• Perfect for multithreaded workloads

• Works beautifully with WebGPU shaders and compute pipelines

In 2025, many AI inference engines are now written in Rust + WebGPU.

In Summary

• WebGPU = next-gen GPU API → 3D + AI compute

• WebAssembly = near-native execution in the browser

• Together → they enable full-power applications directly in the browser, including AI models, games, editors, simulations, and more.