diff --git a/oshmem/mca/sshmem/ucx/configure.m4 b/oshmem/mca/sshmem/ucx/configure.m4
index 3b88aaf5d93..cc938075003 100644
--- a/oshmem/mca/sshmem/ucx/configure.m4
+++ b/oshmem/mca/sshmem/ucx/configure.m4
@@ -29,10 +29,27 @@ AC_DEFUN([MCA_oshmem_sshmem_ucx_CONFIG],[
     save_CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS"
 
     alloc_dm_LDFLAGS=" -L$ompi_check_ucx_libdir/ucx"
-    alloc_dm_LIBS=" -luct_ib"
     CPPFLAGS+=" $sshmem_ucx_CPPFLAGS"
     LDFLAGS+=" $sshmem_ucx_LDFLAGS $alloc_dm_LDFLAGS"
-    LIBS+=" $sshmem_ucx_LIBS $alloc_dm_LIBS"
+    LIBS+=" $sshmem_ucx_LIBS"
+
+    AC_LANG_PUSH([C])
+    AC_LINK_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM(
+          [[
+                #include <ucp/api/ucp.h>
+          ]],
+          [[
+                ucs_memory_type_t mem_type = UCS_MEMORY_TYPE_RDMA;
+          ]])],
+          [
+           AC_MSG_NOTICE([UCX device memory allocation is supported])
+           AC_DEFINE([HAVE_UCX_DEVICE_MEM], [1], [Support for device memory allocation])
+          ],
+          [
+           AC_MSG_NOTICE([UCX device memory allocation is not supported])
+           AC_DEFINE([HAVE_UCX_DEVICE_MEM], [0], [Support for device memory allocation])
+          ])
+    AC_LANG_POP([C])
 
     CPPFLAGS="$save_CPPFLAGS"
     LDFLAGS="$save_LDFLAGS"
diff --git a/oshmem/mca/sshmem/ucx/sshmem_ucx.h b/oshmem/mca/sshmem/ucx/sshmem_ucx.h
index 9b308daa196..90d41ac002c 100644
--- a/oshmem/mca/sshmem/ucx/sshmem_ucx.h
+++ b/oshmem/mca/sshmem/ucx/sshmem_ucx.h
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 #include "oshmem/mca/sshmem/sshmem.h"
 
 #include <ucp/api/ucp.h>
-#include <uct/api/uct.h>
 
 BEGIN_C_DECLS
 
diff --git a/oshmem/mca/sshmem/ucx/sshmem_ucx_module.c b/oshmem/mca/sshmem/ucx/sshmem_ucx_module.c
index 1af1fa30137..f44db04a80d 100644
--- a/oshmem/mca/sshmem/ucx/sshmem_ucx_module.c
+++ b/oshmem/mca/sshmem/ucx/sshmem_ucx_module.c
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ static segment_allocator_t sshmem_ucx_allocator = {
 
 static int
 segment_create_internal(map_segment_t *ds_buf, void *address, size_t size,
-                        unsigned flags, long hint)
+                        unsigned flags, ucs_memory_type_t mem_type)
 {
     mca_sshmem_ucx_segment_context_t *ctx;
     int rc = OSHMEM_SUCCESS;
@@ -119,8 +119,7 @@ segment_create_internal(map_segment_t *ds_buf, void *address, size_t size,
     mem_map_params.address     = address;
     mem_map_params.length      = size;
     mem_map_params.flags       = flags;
-    mem_map_params.memory_type = (hint & SHMEM_HINT_DEVICE_NIC_MEM) ? 
-                                    UCS_MEMORY_TYPE_RDMA : UCS_MEMORY_TYPE_HOST;
+    mem_map_params.memory_type = mem_type;
 
     status = ucp_mem_map(spml->ucp_context, &mem_map_params, &mem_h);
     if (UCS_OK != status) {
@@ -157,11 +156,7 @@ segment_create_internal(map_segment_t *ds_buf, void *address, size_t size,
     ds_buf->super.va_end  = (void*)((uintptr_t)ds_buf->super.va_base + ds_buf->seg_size);
     ds_buf->context       = ctx;
     ds_buf->type          = MAP_SEGMENT_ALLOC_UCX;
-    ds_buf->alloc_hints   = hint;
     ctx->ucp_memh         = mem_h;
-    if (hint) {
-        ds_buf->allocator = &sshmem_ucx_allocator;
-    }
 
 out:
     OPAL_OUTPUT_VERBOSE(
@@ -176,19 +171,39 @@ segment_create_internal(map_segment_t *ds_buf, void *address, size_t size,
     return rc;
 }
 
+static int 
+segment_create_host_mem(map_segment_t *ds_buf, size_t size, unsigned flags) {
+    mca_spml_ucx_t *spml = (mca_spml_ucx_t*)mca_spml.self;
+    flags |= UCP_MEM_MAP_FIXED;
+    if (spml->heap_reg_nb) {
+        flags |= UCP_MEM_MAP_NONBLOCK;
+    }
+    return segment_create_internal(ds_buf, mca_sshmem_base_start_address, size, flags, UCS_MEMORY_TYPE_HOST);
+}
+
 static int
 segment_create(map_segment_t *ds_buf,
                const char *file_name,
                size_t size, long hint)
 {
-    mca_spml_ucx_t *spml = (mca_spml_ucx_t*)mca_spml.self;
-    unsigned flags = UCP_MEM_MAP_ALLOCATE | (spml->heap_reg_nb ? UCP_MEM_MAP_NONBLOCK : 0);
-    if (hint) {
-        return segment_create_internal(ds_buf, NULL, size, flags, hint);
-    } else {
-        return segment_create_internal(ds_buf, mca_sshmem_base_start_address,
-                                       size, flags | UCP_MEM_MAP_FIXED, hint);
+    unsigned flags = UCP_MEM_MAP_ALLOCATE;
+    int status     = OSHMEM_SUCCESS;
+
+#if HAVE_UCX_DEVICE_MEM
+    if (hint & SHMEM_HINT_DEVICE_NIC_MEM) {
+        status = segment_create_internal(ds_buf, NULL, size, flags, UCS_MEMORY_TYPE_RDMA);
+        if (status == OSHMEM_SUCCESS) {
+            ds_buf->alloc_hints   = hint;
+            if (hint) {
+                ds_buf->allocator = &sshmem_ucx_allocator;
+            }
+            return OSHMEM_SUCCESS;
+        }
+        /* Fallback - Try again using host memory*/
     }
+#endif
+
+    return segment_create_host_mem(ds_buf, size, flags);
 }
 
 static void *