diff --git a/bazel/external/wamr.BUILD b/bazel/external/wamr.BUILD
index 8c2955d57..dcf8d87ef 100644
--- a/bazel/external/wamr.BUILD
+++ b/bazel/external/wamr.BUILD
@@ -12,11 +12,24 @@ filegroup(
 cmake(
     name = "wamr_lib",
     generate_args = [
+        # disable WASI
         "-DWAMR_BUILD_LIBC_WASI=0",
-        "-DWAMR_BUILD_MULTI_MODULE=0",
+        "-DWAMR_BUILD_LIBC_BUILTIN=0",
+        # MVP
+        "-DWAMR_BUILD_BULK_MEMORY=1",
+        "-DWAMR_BUILD_REF_TYPES=1",
         "-DWAMR_BUILD_TAIL_CALL=1",
-        "-DWAMR_DISABLE_HW_BOUND_CHECK=0",
-        "-DWAMR_DISABLE_STACK_HW_BOUND_CHECK=1",
+        # WAMR private features
+        "-DWAMR_BUILD_MULTI_MODULE=0",
+        # Some tests have indicated that the following three factors have
+        #   a minimal impact on performance.
+        # - Get function names from name section
+        "-DWAMR_BUILD_CUSTOM_NAME_SECTION=1",
+        "-DWAMR_BUILD_LOAD_CUSTOM_SECTION=1",
+        # - Show Wasm call stack if met a trap
+        "-DWAMR_BUILD_DUMP_CALL_STACK=1",
+        # Cache module files
+        "-DWAMR_BUILD_WASM_CACHE=0",
         "-GNinja",
     ] + select({
         "@proxy_wasm_cpp_host//bazel:engine_wamr_jit": [
@@ -26,6 +39,8 @@ cmake(
             "-DWAMR_BUILD_INTERP=0",
             "-DWAMR_BUILD_JIT=1",
             "-DWAMR_BUILD_SIMD=1",
+            # linux perf. only for jit and aot
+            # "-DWAMR_BUILD_LINUX_PERF=1",
         ],
         "//conditions:default": [
             "-DWAMR_BUILD_AOT=0",
diff --git a/bazel/repositories.bzl b/bazel/repositories.bzl
index 2665f24d5..0bede2208 100644
--- a/bazel/repositories.bzl
+++ b/bazel/repositories.bzl
@@ -198,10 +198,10 @@ def proxy_wasm_cpp_host_repositories():
         http_archive,
         name = "com_github_bytecodealliance_wasm_micro_runtime",
         build_file = "@proxy_wasm_cpp_host//bazel/external:wamr.BUILD",
-        # WAMR-1.2.1
-        sha256 = "7548d4bbea8dbb9b005e83bd571f93a12fb3f0b5e87a8b0130f004dd92df4b0b",
-        strip_prefix = "wasm-micro-runtime-WAMR-1.2.1",
-        url = "https://github.com/bytecodealliance/wasm-micro-runtime/archive/refs/tags/WAMR-1.2.1.zip",
+        # WAMR-2.1.1
+        sha256 = "a0824762abbcbb3dd6b7bb07530f198ece5d792a12a879bc2a99100590fdb151",
+        strip_prefix = "wasm-micro-runtime-WAMR-2.1.1",
+        url = "https://github.com/bytecodealliance/wasm-micro-runtime/archive/refs/tags/WAMR-2.1.1.zip",
     )
 
     native.bind(
diff --git a/src/wamr/wamr.cc b/src/wamr/wamr.cc
index ea3d140e7..482a59bf1 100644
--- a/src/wamr/wamr.cc
+++ b/src/wamr/wamr.cc
@@ -56,7 +56,8 @@ class Wamr : public WasmVm {
   Wamr() = default;
 
   std::string_view getEngineName() override { return "wamr"; }
-  std::string_view getPrecompiledSectionName() override { return ""; }
+  // must use the exact name given by test-tools/append-aot-to-wasm/append_aot_to_wasm.py
+  std::string_view getPrecompiledSectionName() override { return "wamr-aot"; }
 
   Cloneable cloneable() override { return Cloneable::CompiledBytecode; }
   std::unique_ptr<WasmVm> clone() override;
@@ -118,18 +119,32 @@ class Wamr : public WasmVm {
   std::unordered_map<std::string, WasmFuncPtr> module_functions_;
 };
 
-bool Wamr::load(std::string_view bytecode, std::string_view /*precompiled*/,
+bool Wamr::load(std::string_view bytecode, std::string_view precompiled,
                 const std::unordered_map<uint32_t, std::string> & /*function_names*/) {
   store_ = wasm_store_new(engine());
   if (store_ == nullptr) {
     return false;
   }
 
-  wasm_byte_vec_t binary = {.size = bytecode.size(),
-                            .data = (char *)bytecode.data(),
-                            .num_elems = bytecode.size(),
-                            .size_of_elem = sizeof(byte_t),
-                            .lock = nullptr};
+  wasm_byte_vec_t binary = {0};
+  if (precompiled.empty()) {
+    binary.size = bytecode.size();
+    binary.data = const_cast<char *>(bytecode.data());
+    binary.num_elems = bytecode.size();
+    binary.size_of_elem = sizeof(byte_t);
+    binary.lock = nullptr;
+  } else {
+    // skip leading paddings
+    auto padding_count = static_cast<uint8_t>(precompiled[0]);
+    precompiled.remove_prefix(padding_count + 1);
+
+    binary.size = precompiled.size();
+    binary.data = const_cast<char *>(precompiled.data());
+    binary.num_elems = precompiled.size();
+    binary.size_of_elem = sizeof(byte_t);
+    binary.lock = nullptr;
+  }
+
   module_ = wasm_module_new(store_.get(), &binary);
   if (module_ == nullptr) {
     return false;
@@ -224,8 +239,8 @@ static const char *printValKind(wasm_valkind_t kind) {
     return "f32";
   case WASM_F64:
     return "f64";
-  case WASM_ANYREF:
-    return "anyref";
+  case WASM_EXTERNREF:
+    return "externref";
   case WASM_FUNCREF:
     return "funcref";
   default: