diff --git a/torchrec/distributed/embedding.py b/torchrec/distributed/embedding.py
index d8554edea..6fa024334 100644
--- a/torchrec/distributed/embedding.py
+++ b/torchrec/distributed/embedding.py
@@ -338,6 +338,7 @@ def __init__(
         features_to_permute_indices: Optional[Dict[str, List[int]]] = None,
         module_fqn: Optional[str] = None,
         sharding_types: Optional[List[str]] = None,
+        use_gather_select: bool = False,
     ) -> None:
         super().__init__()
         self._awaitables_per_sharding = awaitables_per_sharding
@@ -348,6 +349,7 @@ def __init__(
         self._ctx = ctx
         self._module_fqn = module_fqn
         self._sharding_types = sharding_types
+        self._use_gather_select = use_gather_select
 
     def _wait_impl(self) -> Dict[str, JaggedTensor]:
         jt_dict: Dict[str, JaggedTensor] = {}
@@ -389,6 +391,7 @@ def _wait_impl(self) -> Dict[str, JaggedTensor]:
                     original_features=original_features,
                     reverse_indices=reverse_indices,
                     seq_vbe_ctx=seq_vbe_ctx,
+                    use_gather_select=self._use_gather_select,
                 )
             )
         return jt_dict
@@ -529,6 +532,7 @@ def __init__(
                 module.embedding_configs(), table_name_to_parameter_sharding
             )
         self._need_indices: bool = module.need_indices()
+        self._use_gather_select: bool = module.use_gather_select()
         self._inverse_indices_permute_per_sharding: Optional[List[torch.Tensor]] = None
         self._skip_missing_weight_key: List[str] = []
 
@@ -1563,6 +1567,7 @@ def output_dist(
             need_indices=self._need_indices,
             features_to_permute_indices=self._features_to_permute_indices,
             ctx=ctx,
+            use_gather_select=self._use_gather_select,
         )
 
     def compute_and_output_dist(
@@ -1612,6 +1617,7 @@ def compute_and_output_dist(
             ctx=ctx,
             module_fqn=self._module_fqn,
             sharding_types=list(self._sharding_type_to_sharding.keys()),
+            use_gather_select=self._use_gather_select,
         )
 
     def _embedding_dim_for_sharding_type(self, sharding_type: str) -> int:
diff --git a/torchrec/modules/embedding_modules.py b/torchrec/modules/embedding_modules.py
index 00726e3c2..99b4d0392 100644
--- a/torchrec/modules/embedding_modules.py
+++ b/torchrec/modules/embedding_modules.py
@@ -408,6 +408,7 @@ def __init__(  # noqa C901
         tables: List[EmbeddingConfig],
         device: Optional[torch.device] = None,
         need_indices: bool = False,
+        use_gather_select: bool = False,
     ) -> None:
         super().__init__()
         torch._C._log_api_usage_once(f"torchrec.modules.{self.__class__.__name__}")
@@ -415,6 +416,7 @@ def __init__(  # noqa C901
         self._embedding_configs = tables
         self._embedding_dim: int = -1
         self._need_indices: bool = need_indices
+        self._use_gather_select: bool = use_gather_select
         self._device: torch.device = (
             device if device is not None else torch.device("cpu")
         )
@@ -541,3 +543,10 @@ def reset_parameters(self) -> None:
             param = self.embeddings[f"{table_config.name}"].weight
             # pyre-ignore
             table_config.init_fn(param)
+
+    def use_gather_select(self) -> bool:
+        """
+        Returns:
+            bool: Whether the EmbeddingCollection uses torch.gather to select embeddings.
+        """
+        return self._use_gather_select
diff --git a/torchrec/modules/utils.py b/torchrec/modules/utils.py
index 2d6f4b4a5..95b082b4a 100644
--- a/torchrec/modules/utils.py
+++ b/torchrec/modules/utils.py
@@ -245,14 +245,22 @@ def construct_jagged_tensors(
     original_features: Optional[KeyedJaggedTensor] = None,
     reverse_indices: Optional[torch.Tensor] = None,
     seq_vbe_ctx: Optional[SequenceVBEContext] = None,
+    use_gather_select: bool = False,
 ) -> Dict[str, JaggedTensor]:
     with record_function("## construct_jagged_tensors ##"):
         if original_features is not None:
             features = original_features
         if reverse_indices is not None:
-            embeddings = torch.index_select(
-                embeddings, 0, reverse_indices.to(torch.int32)
-            )
+            if use_gather_select:
+                # gather has better backward performance than index_select in many cases
+                expanded_indices = reverse_indices.unsqueeze(1).expand(
+                    -1, embeddings.size(-1)
+                )
+                embeddings = torch.gather(embeddings, 0, expanded_indices)
+            else:
+                embeddings = torch.index_select(
+                    embeddings, 0, reverse_indices.to(torch.int32)
+                )
         ret: Dict[str, JaggedTensor] = {}
 
         if seq_vbe_ctx is not None: