diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/HIR/BuildHIR.ts b/compiler/forget/src/HIR/BuildHIR.ts
index c4724ac036..719c380a9d 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/HIR/BuildHIR.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/HIR/BuildHIR.ts
@@ -1687,6 +1687,14 @@ function lowerExpression(
         };
       }
     }
+    case "AwaitExpression": {
+      let expr = exprPath as NodePath<t.AwaitExpression>;
+      return {
+        kind: "Await",
+        value: lowerExpressionToTemporary(builder, expr.get("argument")),
+        loc: exprLoc,
+      };
+    }
     case "TypeCastExpression": {
       let expr = exprPath as NodePath<t.TypeCastExpression>;
       return {
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/HIR/HIR.ts b/compiler/forget/src/HIR/HIR.ts
index 678c39471c..ef873fd87a 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/HIR/HIR.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/HIR/HIR.ts
@@ -632,6 +632,11 @@ export type InstructionValue =
       quasis: Array<{ raw: string; cooked?: string }>;
       loc: SourceLocation;
     }
+  | {
+      kind: "Await";
+      value: Place;
+      loc: SourceLocation;
+    }
   /**
    * Catch-all for statements such as type imports, nested class declarations, etc
    * which are not directly represented, but included for completeness and to allow
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/HIR/PrintHIR.ts b/compiler/forget/src/HIR/PrintHIR.ts
index f4d8e76fbe..8b82b77a59 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/HIR/PrintHIR.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/HIR/PrintHIR.ts
@@ -448,6 +448,10 @@ export function printInstructionValue(instrValue: ReactiveValue): string {
       value = `RegExp /${instrValue.pattern}/${instrValue.flags}`;
       break;
     }
+    case "Await": {
+      value = `Await ${printPlace(instrValue.value)}`;
+      break;
+    }
     default: {
       assertExhaustive(
         instrValue,
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/HIR/visitors.ts b/compiler/forget/src/HIR/visitors.ts
index bca0080d68..328a995466 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/HIR/visitors.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/HIR/visitors.ts
@@ -170,6 +170,10 @@ export function* eachInstructionValueOperand(
       yield* instrValue.subexprs;
       break;
     }
+    case "Await": {
+      yield instrValue.value;
+      break;
+    }
     case "RegExpLiteral":
     case "LoadGlobal":
     case "UnsupportedNode":
@@ -423,6 +427,10 @@ export function mapInstructionOperands(
       instrValue.subexprs = instrValue.subexprs.map(fn);
       break;
     }
+    case "Await": {
+      instrValue.value = fn(instrValue.value);
+      break;
+    }
     case "RegExpLiteral":
     case "LoadGlobal":
     case "UnsupportedNode":
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/Inference/InferReferenceEffects.ts b/compiler/forget/src/Inference/InferReferenceEffects.ts
index fb04c74f79..c3cf9c7281 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/Inference/InferReferenceEffects.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/Inference/InferReferenceEffects.ts
@@ -788,6 +788,17 @@ function inferBlock(
         state.define(lvalue, instrValue);
         continue;
       }
+      case "Await": {
+        state.initialize(instrValue, state.kind(instrValue.value));
+        // Awaiting a value causes it to change state (go from unresolved to resolved or error)
+        // It also means that any side-effects which would occur as part of the promise evaluation
+        // will occur.
+        state.reference(instrValue.value, Effect.Mutate);
+        const lvalue = instr.lvalue;
+        lvalue.effect = Effect.Mutate;
+        state.alias(lvalue, instrValue.value);
+        continue;
+      }
       case "TypeCastExpression": {
         // A type cast expression has no effect at runtime, so it's equivalent to a raw
         // identifier:
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/Optimization/DeadCodeElimination.ts b/compiler/forget/src/Optimization/DeadCodeElimination.ts
index fe7edaa888..877a2340a4 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/Optimization/DeadCodeElimination.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/Optimization/DeadCodeElimination.ts
@@ -190,6 +190,7 @@ function pruneableValue(value: InstructionValue, state: State): boolean {
       }
       return true;
     }
+    case "Await":
     case "CallExpression":
     case "ComputedDelete":
     case "ComputedStore":
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/CodegenReactiveFunction.ts b/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/CodegenReactiveFunction.ts
index 27c2263af1..05697c3a1b 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/CodegenReactiveFunction.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/CodegenReactiveFunction.ts
@@ -907,6 +907,10 @@ function codegenInstructionValue(
       value = t.regExpLiteral(instrValue.pattern, instrValue.flags);
       break;
     }
+    case "Await": {
+      value = t.awaitExpression(codegenPlace(cx, instrValue.value));
+      break;
+    }
     case "DeclareLocal":
     case "Destructure":
     case "StoreLocal": {
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/InferReactiveScopeVariables.ts b/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/InferReactiveScopeVariables.ts
index 888cb83499..8f519f6e04 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/InferReactiveScopeVariables.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/InferReactiveScopeVariables.ts
@@ -219,6 +219,7 @@ function mayAllocate(value: InstructionValue): boolean {
     case "Destructure": {
       return doesPatternContainSpreadElement(value.lvalue.pattern);
     }
+    case "Await":
     case "DeclareLocal":
     case "StoreLocal":
     case "LoadGlobal":
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/PruneNonEscapingScopes.ts b/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/PruneNonEscapingScopes.ts
index 51d81fe8bb..ec2ce6dbce 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/PruneNonEscapingScopes.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/PruneNonEscapingScopes.ts
@@ -424,6 +424,7 @@ function computeMemoizationInputs(
         rvalues: [],
       };
     }
+    case "Await":
     case "TypeCastExpression": {
       return {
         // Indirection for the inner value, memoized if the value is
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/await-side-effecting-promise.expect.md b/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/await-side-effecting-promise.expect.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..aabe9a208a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/await-side-effecting-promise.expect.md
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+
+## Input
+
+```javascript
+async function Component(props) {
+  const x = [];
+  await populateData(props.id, x);
+  return x;
+}
+
+```
+
+## Code
+
+```javascript
+async function Component(props) {
+  const $ = React.unstable_useMemoCache(2);
+  const c_0 = $[0] !== props.id;
+  let x;
+  if (c_0) {
+    x = [];
+    await populateData(props.id, x);
+    $[0] = props.id;
+    $[1] = x;
+  } else {
+    x = $[1];
+  }
+  return x;
+}
+
+```
+      
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/await-side-effecting-promise.js b/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/await-side-effecting-promise.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8b5a45e608
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/await-side-effecting-promise.js
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+async function Component(props) {
+  const x = [];
+  await populateData(props.id, x);
+  return x;
+}
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/await.expect.md b/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/await.expect.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f1b76412e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/await.expect.md
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+
+## Input
+
+```javascript
+async function Component(props) {
+  const user = await load(props.id);
+  return <div>{user.name}</div>;
+}
+
+```
+
+## Code
+
+```javascript
+async function Component(props) {
+  const $ = React.unstable_useMemoCache(4);
+  const c_0 = $[0] !== props.id;
+  let t0;
+  if (c_0) {
+    t0 = await load(props.id);
+    $[0] = props.id;
+    $[1] = t0;
+  } else {
+    t0 = $[1];
+  }
+  const user = t0;
+  const c_2 = $[2] !== user.name;
+  let t1;
+  if (c_2) {
+    t1 = <div>{user.name}</div>;
+    $[2] = user.name;
+    $[3] = t1;
+  } else {
+    t1 = $[3];
+  }
+  return t1;
+}
+
+```
+      
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/await.js b/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/await.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3d021138fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/await.js
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+async function Component(props) {
+  const user = await load(props.id);
+  return <div>{user.name}</div>;
+}