diff --git a/spikeinterface/sorters/basesorter.py b/spikeinterface/sorters/basesorter.py
index d90b0cceec..b56ad6ab43 100644
--- a/spikeinterface/sorters/basesorter.py
+++ b/spikeinterface/sorters/basesorter.py
@@ -22,12 +22,13 @@
 class BaseSorter:
     """Base Sorter object."""
 
-    sorter_name = ''  # convenience for reporting
+    sorter_name = ""  # convenience for reporting
     compiled_name = None
     SortingExtractor_Class = None  # convenience to get the extractor
     requires_locations = False
-    docker_requires_gpu = False
+    gpu_capability = 'not-supported'
     compatible_with_parallel = {'loky': True, 'multiprocessing': True, 'threading': True}
+    
     _default_params = {}
     _params_description = {}
     sorter_description = ""
@@ -289,6 +290,10 @@ def check_compiled(cls):
         if retcode != 0:
             return False
         return True
+    
+    @classmethod
+    def use_gpu(cls, params):
+        return cls.gpu_capability != 'not-supported'
 
     #############################################
 
diff --git a/spikeinterface/sorters/ironclust/ironclust.py b/spikeinterface/sorters/ironclust/ironclust.py
index cfa01663f9..0d00237e94 100644
--- a/spikeinterface/sorters/ironclust/ironclust.py
+++ b/spikeinterface/sorters/ironclust/ironclust.py
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ class IronClustSorter(BaseSorter):
     ironclust_path: Union[str, None] = os.getenv('IRONCLUST_PATH', None)
 
     requires_locations = True
-    docker_requires_gpu = True
+    gpu_capability = 'nvidia-optional'
 
     _default_params = {
         'detect_sign': -1,  # Use -1, 0, or 1, depending on the sign of the spikes in the recording
@@ -142,6 +142,10 @@ def get_sorter_version(cls):
                 version = d['version']
                 return version
         return 'unknown'
+    
+    @classmethod
+    def use_gpu(cls, params):
+        return params["fGpu"]
 
     @staticmethod
     def set_ironclust_path(ironclust_path: PathType):
diff --git a/spikeinterface/sorters/kilosort/kilosort.py b/spikeinterface/sorters/kilosort/kilosort.py
index ea3b174f41..e72e6b0eee 100644
--- a/spikeinterface/sorters/kilosort/kilosort.py
+++ b/spikeinterface/sorters/kilosort/kilosort.py
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ class KilosortSorter(KilosortBase, BaseSorter):
     compiled_name: str = 'ks_compiled'
     kilosort_path: Union[str, None] = os.getenv('KILOSORT_PATH', None)
     requires_locations = False
-    docker_requires_gpu = True
+    requires_gpu = 'nvidia-optional'
 
     _default_params = {
         'detect_threshold': 6,
@@ -89,6 +89,10 @@ def get_sorter_version(cls):
             return 'unknown'
         else:
             return 'git-' + commit
+        
+    @classmethod
+    def use_gpu(cls, params):
+        return params["useGPU"]
 
     @classmethod
     def set_kilosort_path(cls, kilosort_path: str):
diff --git a/spikeinterface/sorters/kilosort2/kilosort2.py b/spikeinterface/sorters/kilosort2/kilosort2.py
index 646adadbb0..02a2867777 100644
--- a/spikeinterface/sorters/kilosort2/kilosort2.py
+++ b/spikeinterface/sorters/kilosort2/kilosort2.py
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ class Kilosort2Sorter(KilosortBase, BaseSorter):
     compiled_name: str = 'ks2_compiled'
     kilosort2_path: Union[str, None] = os.getenv('KILOSORT2_PATH', None)
     requires_locations = False
-    docker_requires_gpu = True
 
     _default_params = {
         'detect_threshold': 6,
diff --git a/spikeinterface/sorters/kilosort2_5/kilosort2_5.py b/spikeinterface/sorters/kilosort2_5/kilosort2_5.py
index f7de101a3a..0a4f93f8f9 100644
--- a/spikeinterface/sorters/kilosort2_5/kilosort2_5.py
+++ b/spikeinterface/sorters/kilosort2_5/kilosort2_5.py
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@ class Kilosort2_5Sorter(KilosortBase, BaseSorter):
     compiled_name: str = 'ks2_5_compiled'
     kilosort2_5_path: Union[str, None] = os.getenv('KILOSORT2_5_PATH', None)
     requires_locations = False
-    docker_requires_gpu = True
 
     _default_params = {
         'detect_threshold': 6,
diff --git a/spikeinterface/sorters/kilosort3/kilosort3.py b/spikeinterface/sorters/kilosort3/kilosort3.py
index 308e95fd07..047b61d9f6 100644
--- a/spikeinterface/sorters/kilosort3/kilosort3.py
+++ b/spikeinterface/sorters/kilosort3/kilosort3.py
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ class Kilosort3Sorter(KilosortBase, BaseSorter):
     compiled_name: str = 'ks3_compiled'
     kilosort3_path: Union[str, None] = os.getenv('KILOSORT3_PATH', None)
     requires_locations = False
-    docker_requires_gpu = True
 
     _default_params = {
         'detect_threshold': 6,
diff --git a/spikeinterface/sorters/kilosortbase.py b/spikeinterface/sorters/kilosortbase.py
index 399bfdd18f..70931f88ca 100644
--- a/spikeinterface/sorters/kilosortbase.py
+++ b/spikeinterface/sorters/kilosortbase.py
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ class KilosortBase:
       * _run_from_folder
       * _get_result_from_folder
     """
+    gpu_capability = 'nvidia-required'
 
     @staticmethod
     def _generate_channel_map_file(recording, output_folder):
diff --git a/spikeinterface/sorters/pykilosort/pykilosort.py b/spikeinterface/sorters/pykilosort/pykilosort.py
index 6c37d3e5c1..082f705755 100644
--- a/spikeinterface/sorters/pykilosort/pykilosort.py
+++ b/spikeinterface/sorters/pykilosort/pykilosort.py
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ class PyKilosortSorter(BaseSorter):
 
     sorter_name = 'pykilosort'
     requires_locations = False
-    docker_requires_gpu = True
+    gpu_capability = 'nvidia-required'
     compatible_with_parallel = {'loky': True, 'multiprocessing': False, 'threading': False}
 
     _default_params = {
diff --git a/spikeinterface/sorters/runsorter.py b/spikeinterface/sorters/runsorter.py
index 488368d077..d147580b00 100644
--- a/spikeinterface/sorters/runsorter.py
+++ b/spikeinterface/sorters/runsorter.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 from ..version import version as si_version
 from spikeinterface.core.core_tools import check_json, recursive_path_modifier, is_dict_extractor
 from .sorterlist import sorter_dict
-from .utils import SpikeSortingError
+from .utils import SpikeSortingError, has_nvidia
 
 
 _common_param_doc = """
@@ -160,12 +160,14 @@ class ContainerClient:
     def __init__(self, mode, container_image, volumes, extra_kwargs):
         assert mode in ('docker', 'singularity')
         self.mode = mode
+        container_requires_gpu = extra_kwargs.get(
+            'container_requires_gpu', None)
 
         if mode == 'docker':
             import docker
             client = docker.from_env()
-            if extra_kwargs.get('requires_gpu', False):
-                extra_kwargs.pop('requires_gpu')
+            if container_requires_gpu is not None:
+                extra_kwargs.pop('container_requires_gpu')
                 extra_kwargs["device_requests"] = [
                     docker.types.DeviceRequest(count=-1, capabilities=[['gpu']])]
 
@@ -198,7 +200,7 @@ def __init__(self, mode, container_image, volumes, extra_kwargs):
             options=['--bind', singularity_bind]
 
             # gpu options
-            if extra_kwargs.get('requires_gpu', False):
+            if container_requires_gpu:
                 # only nvidia at the moment
                 options += ['--nv']
 
@@ -306,8 +308,23 @@ def run_sorter_container(sorter_name, recording, mode, container_image, output_f
         install_si_from_source = False
         
     extra_kwargs = {}
-    if SorterClass.docker_requires_gpu:
-        extra_kwargs['requires_gpu'] = True
+    use_gpu = SorterClass.use_gpu(sorter_params)
+    gpu_capability = SorterClass.gpu_capability
+    
+    if use_gpu:
+        if gpu_capability == 'nvidia-required':
+            assert has_nvidia(), "The container requires a NVIDIA GPU capability, but it is not available"
+            extra_kwargs['container_requires_gpu'] = True
+        elif gpu_capability == 'nvidia-optional':
+            if has_nvidia():
+                extra_kwargs['container_requires_gpu'] = True
+            else: 
+                if verbose:
+                    print(f"{SorterClass.sorter_name} supports GPU, but no GPU is available.\n"
+                          f"Running the sorter without GPU")
+        else:
+            # TODO: make opencl machanism
+            raise NotImplementedError("Only nvidia support is available")
     
     container_client = ContainerClient(mode, container_image, volumes, extra_kwargs)
     if verbose:
diff --git a/spikeinterface/sorters/utils/__init__.py b/spikeinterface/sorters/utils/__init__.py
index 597bf057a2..1d45851b5b 100644
--- a/spikeinterface/sorters/utils/__init__.py
+++ b/spikeinterface/sorters/utils/__init__.py
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
 from .shellscript import ShellScript
-from .misc import (SpikeSortingError, get_git_commit)
+from .misc import (SpikeSortingError, get_git_commit, has_nvidia)
diff --git a/spikeinterface/sorters/utils/misc.py b/spikeinterface/sorters/utils/misc.py
index ca1ae7a298..8b326eee61 100644
--- a/spikeinterface/sorters/utils/misc.py
+++ b/spikeinterface/sorters/utils/misc.py
@@ -20,3 +20,14 @@ def get_git_commit(git_folder, shorten=True):
     except:
         commit = None
     return commit
+
+
+def has_nvidia():
+    """
+    Checks if the machine has nvidia capability.
+    """
+    try:
+        check_output('nvidia-smi')
+        return True
+    except Exception:  # this command not being found can raise quite a few different errors depending on the configuration
+        return False
diff --git a/spikeinterface/sorters/yass/yass.py b/spikeinterface/sorters/yass/yass.py
index b3806f1981..fb866f4f76 100644
--- a/spikeinterface/sorters/yass/yass.py
+++ b/spikeinterface/sorters/yass/yass.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ class YassSorter(BaseSorter):
 
     sorter_name = 'yass'
     requires_locations = False
-    docker_requires_gpu = True
+    gpu_capability = 'nvidia-required'
 
     # #################################################