diff --git a/llvm/lib/Target/SPIRV/SPIRVPrepareFunctions.cpp b/llvm/lib/Target/SPIRV/SPIRVPrepareFunctions.cpp
index 4e4e6fb4ab791..be88f334d2171 100644
--- a/llvm/lib/Target/SPIRV/SPIRVPrepareFunctions.cpp
+++ b/llvm/lib/Target/SPIRV/SPIRVPrepareFunctions.cpp
@@ -56,6 +56,13 @@ class SPIRVPrepareFunctions : public ModulePass {
   }
 };
 
+static cl::list<std::string> SPVAllowUnknownIntrinsics(
+    "spv-allow-unknown-intrinsics", cl::CommaSeparated,
+    cl::desc("Emit unknown intrinsics as calls to external functions. A "
+             "comma-separated input list of intrinsic prefixes must be "
+             "provided, and only intrinsics carrying a listed prefix get "
+             "emitted as described."),
+    cl::value_desc("intrinsic_prefix_0,intrinsic_prefix_1"), cl::ValueOptional);
 } // namespace
 
 char SPIRVPrepareFunctions::ID = 0;
@@ -445,6 +452,15 @@ bool SPIRVPrepareFunctions::substituteIntrinsicCalls(Function *F) {
                                        EraseFromParent);
         Changed = true;
         break;
+      default:
+        if (TM.getTargetTriple().getVendor() == Triple::AMD ||
+            any_of(SPVAllowUnknownIntrinsics, [II](auto &&Prefix) {
+              if (Prefix.empty())
+                return false;
+              return II->getCalledFunction()->getName().starts_with(Prefix);
+            }))
+          Changed |= lowerIntrinsicToFunction(II);
+        break;
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/llvm/test/CodeGen/SPIRV/allow_unknown_intrinsics.ll b/llvm/test/CodeGen/SPIRV/allow_unknown_intrinsics.ll
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..677291a322900
--- /dev/null
+++ b/llvm/test/CodeGen/SPIRV/allow_unknown_intrinsics.ll
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+; RUN: not llc -verify-machineinstrs -O0 -mtriple=spirv64-unknown-unknown %s -o %t.spvt 2>&1 | FileCheck -check-prefix=CHECK-ERROR %s
+; RUN: not llc -verify-machineinstrs -O0 -mtriple=spirv64-unknown-unknown --spv-allow-unknown-intrinsics %s -o %t.spvt 2>&1 | FileCheck -check-prefix=CHECK-ERROR %s
+; RUN: not llc -verify-machineinstrs -O0 -mtriple=spirv64-unknown-unknown --spv-allow-unknown-intrinsics=notllvm %s -o %t.spvt 2>&1 | FileCheck --check-prefix=CHECK-ERROR %s
+; RUN: not llc -verify-machineinstrs -O0 -mtriple=spirv64-unknown-unknown --spv-allow-unknown-intrinsics=llvm.some.custom %s -o %t.spvt 2>&1 | FileCheck --check-prefix=CHECK-ERROR %s
+; RUN: llc -verify-machineinstrs -O0 -mtriple=spirv64-unknown-unknown --spv-allow-unknown-intrinsics=llvm. %s -o - | FileCheck %s
+; RUN: llc -verify-machineinstrs -O0 -mtriple=spirv64-unknown-unknown --spv-allow-unknown-intrinsics=llvm.,random.prefix %s -o - | FileCheck %s
+; RUN: llc -verify-machineinstrs -O0 -mtriple=spirv64-amd-amdhsa %s -o - | FileCheck %s
+; RUN: %if spirv-tools %{ llc -O0 -mtriple=spirv64-unknown-unknown --spv-allow-unknown-intrinsics=llvm. %s -o - -filetype=obj | spirv-val %}
+; RUN: %if spirv-tools %{ llc -O0 -mtriple=spirv64-amd-amdhsa %s -o - -filetype=obj | spirv-val %}
+
+; The test checks command-line option which allows to represent unknown
+; intrinsics as external function calls in SPIR-V.
+
+; CHECK-ERROR: LLVM ERROR: unable to legalize instruction: %3:iid(s64) = G_READCYCLECOUNTER (in function: foo)
+
+; CHECK: Name %[[READCYCLECOUNTER:[0-9]+]] "spirv.llvm_readcyclecounter"
+; CHECK: Name %[[SOME_CUSTOM_INTRINSIC:[0-9]+]] "spirv.llvm_some_custom_intrinsic"
+; CHECK-DAG: Decorate %[[READCYCLECOUNTER]] LinkageAttributes {{.*}} Import
+; CHECK: Decorate %[[SOME_CUSTOM_INTRINSIC]] LinkageAttributes {{.*}} Import
+; CHECK-DAG: %[[I64:[0-9]+]] = OpTypeInt 64
+; CHECK: %[[FnTy:[0-9]+]] = OpTypeFunction %[[I64]]
+; CHECK: %[[READCYCLECOUNTER]] = OpFunction %[[I64]] {{.*}} %[[FnTy]]
+; CHECK-DAG: %[[SOME_CUSTOM_INTRINSIC]] = OpFunction %[[I64]] {{.*}} %[[FnTy]]
+; CHECK-DAG: OpFunctionCall %[[I64]] %[[READCYCLECOUNTER]]
+; CHECK:     OpFunctionCall %[[I64]] %[[SOME_CUSTOM_INTRINSIC]]
+
+define spir_func void @foo() {
+entry:
+; TODO: if and when the SPIR-V learns how to lower readcyclecounter, we will have to pick another unhandled intrinsic
+  %0 = call i64 @llvm.readcyclecounter()
+  %1 = call i64 @llvm.some.custom.intrinsic()
+  ret void
+}
+
+declare i64 @llvm.readcyclecounter()
+declare i64 @llvm.some.custom.intrinsic()