diff --git a/config/opal_check_nvcc.m4 b/config/opal_check_nvcc.m4
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6443cdd01a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/opal_check_nvcc.m4
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+dnl -*- autoconf -*-
+dnl
+dnl Copyright (c) 2020-2022 Cisco Systems, Inc.  All rights reserved.
+dnl Copyright (c) 2024 Jeffrey M. Squyres.  All rights reserved.
+dnl
+dnl $COPYRIGHT$
+dnl
+dnl Additional copyrights may follow
+dnl
+dnl $HEADER$
+dnl
+
+dnl Setup Sphinx for building HTML docs and man pages
+dnl
+dnl 1 -> sanity file to check if pre-built docs are already available
+dnl      You probably want to pass something like
+dnl      "$srcdir/docs/_build/man/foo.1"
+dnl
+dnl 2 -> (OPTIONAL) URL to display in AC_MSG_WARN when docs will not be installed
+dnl      If $2 is empty, nothing will be displayed.
+dnl      Note: if $2 contains a #, be sure to double quote it
+dnl      (e.g., [[https://example.com/foo.html#some-anchor]])
+dnl
+dnl 3 -> (OPTIONAL) Filename of requirements.txt-like file containing
+dnl      the required Pip modules (to be displayed if rendering a
+dnl      simple RST project fails).
+dnl
+dnl This macro requires that OAC_PUSH_PREFIX was previously called.
+dnl The pushed prefix may be used if this macro chooses to set {OAC
+dnl prefix}_MAKEDIST_DISABLE.  If set, it is a message indicating why
+dnl "make dist" should be disabled, suitable for emitting via
+dnl AC_MSG_WARN.
+AC_DEFUN([OPAL_CHECK_NVCC],[
+
+    # This option is probably only helpful to developers: have
+    # configure fail if Sphinx is not found (i.e., if you don't have
+    # the ability to use Sphinx to build the HTML docs and man pages).
+    AC_ARG_ENABLE([nvcc],
+        [AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-nvcc],
+            [Force configure to fail if CUDA nvcc is not found (CUDA nvcc is used to build CUDA operator support).])])
+
+    AC_ARG_WITH([nvcc],
+        [AS_HELP_STRING([--with-nvcc=DIR],
+            [Path to the CUDA compiler])])
+
+    AC_ARG_WITH([nvcc_compute_arch],
+        [AS_HELP_STRING([--with-nvcc-compute-arch=ARCH],
+            [Compute architecture to use for CUDA (default: 52)])])
+
+    AS_IF([test -n "$with_nvcc"],
+          [OPAL_NVCC=$with_nvcc],
+          # no path specified, try to find nvcc
+          [AC_PATH_PROG([OPAL_NVCC], [nvcc], [])])
+
+    # If the user requested to disable sphinx, then pretend we didn't
+    # find it.
+    AS_IF([test "$enable_nvcc" = "no"],
+          [OPAL_NVCC=])
+
+    # default to CUDA compute architecture 52
+    AS_IF([test -n "$with_nvcc_compute_arch"],
+          [OPAL_NVCC_COMPUTE_ARCH=$with_nvcc_compute_arch],
+          [OPAL_NVCC_COMPUTE_ARCH=52])
+
+    # If --enable-sphinx was specified and we did not find Sphinx,
+    # abort.  This is likely only useful to prevent "oops!" moments
+    # from developers.
+    AS_IF([test -z "$OPAL_NVCC" && test "$enable_nvcc" = "yes"],
+          [AC_MSG_WARN([A suitable CUDA compiler was not found, but --enable-nvcc was specified])
+           AC_MSG_ERROR([Cannot continue])])
+
+    OPAL_SUMMARY_ADD([Accelerators], [NVCC compiler], [], [$OPAL_NVCC (compute arch: $OPAL_NVCC_COMPUTE_ARCH)])
+
+])
diff --git a/ompi/mca/op/cuda/Makefile.am b/ompi/mca/op/cuda/Makefile.am
index 7075d26301c..dc776220f6e 100644
--- a/ompi/mca/op/cuda/Makefile.am
+++ b/ompi/mca/op/cuda/Makefile.am
@@ -22,17 +22,15 @@ AM_CPPFLAGS = $(op_cuda_CPPFLAGS) $(op_cudart_CPPFLAGS)
 dist_ompidata_DATA = help-ompi-mca-op-cuda.txt
 
 sources = op_cuda_component.c op_cuda.h op_cuda_functions.c op_cuda_impl.h
-#sources_extended = op_cuda_functions.cu
 cu_sources = op_cuda_impl.cu
 
-NVCC = nvcc -g
-NVCCFLAGS= --std c++17 --gpu-architecture=compute_52
+NVCCFLAGS = --std c++17 --gpu-architecture=compute_$(OPAL_NVCC_COMPUTE_ARCH)
+# let the underlying compiler generate PIC code
+PIC_FLAGS = -prefer-non-pic -Wc,-Xcompiler,-fPIC
 
 .cu.l$(OBJEXT):
 	$(LIBTOOL) $(AM_V_lt) --tag=CC $(AM_LIBTOOLFLAGS) \
-	$(LIBTOOLFLAGS) --mode=compile $(NVCC) -prefer-non-pic $(NVCCFLAGS) -Wc,-Xcompiler,-fPIC,-g -c $<
-
-# -o $($@.o:.lo)
+	$(LIBTOOLFLAGS) --mode=compile $(OPAL_NVCC) $(NVCCFLAGS) $(PIC_FLAGS) -c $<
 
 # Open MPI components can be compiled two ways:
 #
diff --git a/ompi/mca/op/cuda/configure.m4 b/ompi/mca/op/cuda/configure.m4
index 0974e3aaf31..15b3fd7c2d1 100644
--- a/ompi/mca/op/cuda/configure.m4
+++ b/ompi/mca/op/cuda/configure.m4
@@ -25,8 +25,9 @@ AC_DEFUN([MCA_ompi_op_cuda_CONFIG],[
 
     OPAL_CHECK_CUDA([op_cuda])
     OPAL_CHECK_CUDART([op_cudart])
+    OPAL_CHECK_NVCC([op_nvcc])
 
-    AS_IF([test "x$CUDA_SUPPORT" = "x1"],
+    AS_IF([test "x$CUDA_SUPPORT" = "x1" -a "x$CUDART_SUPPORT" = "x1" -a -n "$OPAL_NVCC"],
           [$1],
           [$2])
 
@@ -38,4 +39,7 @@ AC_DEFUN([MCA_ompi_op_cuda_CONFIG],[
     AC_SUBST([op_cudart_LDFLAGS])
     AC_SUBST([op_cudart_LIBS])
 
+    AC_SUBST([OPAL_NVCC])
+    AC_SUBST([OPAL_NVCC_COMPUTE_ARCH])
+
 ])dnl