feat: Add vLLM compilation cache to Dynamo Operator (#3257)

Signed-off-by: Michael Shin <michaelshin@users.noreply.github.com>

components/backends/sglang/deploy/disagg_planner.yaml

@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@ spec:
   envs:
     - name: DYNAMO_NAMESPACE
       value: "dynamo"
+  pvcs:
+    - name: dynamo-pvc
+      create: false # Must be pre-created before deployment and SLA profiler must have been run
   services:
     Frontend:
       dynamoNamespace: dynamo
@@ -41,9 +44,8 @@ spec:
         periodSeconds: 60
         timeoutSeconds: 30
         failureThreshold: 10
-      pvc:
-        create: false
-        name: dynamo-pvc # Must be pre-created before deployment and SLA profiler must have been run
+      volumeMounts:
+        - name: dynamo-pvc
           mountPoint: /data
       extraPodSpec:
         mainContainer:

components/backends/trtllm/deploy/disagg-multinode.yaml

@@ -79,6 +79,8 @@ metadata:
   name: trtllm-disagg-tp8
 spec:
   backendFramework: trtllm
+  pvcs:
+    - name: models
   envs:
     - name: OMPI_ALLOW_RUN_AS_ROOT
       value: "1"
@@ -103,8 +105,8 @@ spec:
             - --http-port
             - "8000"
     prefill:
-      pvc:
-        name: models
+      volumeMounts:
+        - name: models
           mountPoint: /models
       dynamoNamespace: trtllm-disagg
       envFromSecret: hf-token-secret
@@ -143,8 +145,8 @@ spec:
             - --disaggregation-strategy
             - decode_first
     decode:
-      pvc:
-        name: models
+      volumeMounts:
+        - name: models
           mountPoint: /models
       dynamoNamespace: trtllm-disagg
       envFromSecret: hf-token-secret

components/backends/trtllm/deploy/disagg_planner.yaml

@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@ kind: DynamoGraphDeployment
 metadata:
   name: trtllm-disagg-planner
 spec:
+  pvcs:
+    - name: dynamo-pvc
+      create: false
   envs:
     - name: DYNAMO_NAMESPACE
       value: "trtllm-disagg-planner"
@@ -58,9 +61,8 @@ spec:
         periodSeconds: 60
         timeoutSeconds: 30
         failureThreshold: 10
-      pvc:
-        create: false
-        name: dynamo-pvc # Must be pre-created before deployment and SLA profiler must have been run
+      volumeMounts:
+        - name: dynamo-pvc # Must be pre-created before deployment and SLA profiler must have been run
           mountPoint: /data
       extraPodSpec:
         mainContainer:

components/backends/vllm/deploy/disagg_planner.yaml

@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@ kind: DynamoGraphDeployment
 metadata:
   name: vllm-disagg-planner
 spec:
+  pvcs:
+    - name: dynamo-pvc
+      create: false # Must be pre-created before deployment and SLA profiler must have been run
   envs:
     - name: DYNAMO_NAMESPACE
       value: "vllm-disagg-planner"
@@ -41,9 +44,8 @@ spec:
         periodSeconds: 60
         timeoutSeconds: 30
         failureThreshold: 10
-      pvc:
-        create: false
-        name: dynamo-pvc # Must be pre-created before deployment and SLA profiler must have been run
+      volumeMounts:
+        - name: dynamo-pvc
           mountPoint: /data
       extraPodSpec:
         mainContainer:

deploy/cloud/helm/crds/templates/nvidia.com_dynamocomponentdeployments.yaml

@@ -10025,31 +10025,6 @@ spec:
                   required:
                     - nodeCount
                   type: object
-                pvc:
-                  description: PVC config describing volumes to be mounted by the component.
-                  properties:
-                    create:
-                      description: Create indicates to create a new PVC
-                      type: boolean
-                    mountPoint:
-                      type: string
-                    name:
-                      description: Name is the name of the PVC
-                      type: string
-                    size:
-                      anyOf:
-                        - type: integer
-                        - type: string
-                      description: Size of the NIM cache in Gi, used during PVC creation
-                      pattern: ^(\+|-)?(([0-9]+(\.[0-9]*)?)|(\.[0-9]+))(([KMGTPE]i)|[numkMGTPE]|([eE](\+|-)?(([0-9]+(\.[0-9]*)?)|(\.[0-9]+))))?$
-                      x-kubernetes-int-or-string: true
-                    storageClass:
-                      description: StorageClass to be used for PVC creation. Leave it as empty if the PVC is already created.
-                      type: string
-                    volumeAccessMode:
-                      description: VolumeAccessMode is the volume access mode of the PVC
-                      type: string
-                  type: object
                 readinessProbe:
                   description: ReadinessProbe to signal when the container is ready to receive traffic.
                   properties:
@@ -10257,6 +10232,30 @@ spec:
                 subComponentType:
                   description: SubComponentType indicates the sub-role of this component (for example, "prefill").
                   type: string
+                volumeMounts:
+                  description: VolumeMounts references PVCs defined at the top level for volumes to be mounted by the component.
+                  items:
+                    description: VolumeMount references a PVC defined at the top level for volumes to be mounted by the component
+                    properties:
+                      mountPoint:
+                        description: |-
+                          MountPoint specifies where to mount the volume.
+                          If useAsCompilationCache is true and mountPoint is not specified,
+                          a backend-specific default will be used.
+                        type: string
+                      name:
+                        description: Name references a PVC name defined in the top-level PVCs map
+                        type: string
+                      useAsCompilationCache:
+                        default: false
+                        description: |-
+                          UseAsCompilationCache indicates this volume should be used as a compilation cache.
+                          When true, backend-specific environment variables will be set and default mount points may be used.
+                        type: boolean
+                    required:
+                      - name
+                    type: object
+                  type: array
               type: object
             status:
               description: Status reflects the current observed state of the component deployment.

deploy/cloud/helm/crds/templates/nvidia.com_dynamographdeployments.yaml

@@ -180,6 +180,38 @@ spec:
                       - name
                     type: object
                   type: array
+                pvcs:
+                  description: |-
+                    PVCs defines a list of persistent volume claims that can be referenced by components.
+                    Each PVC must have a unique name that can be referenced in component specifications.
+                  items:
+                    properties:
+                      create:
+                        description: Create indicates to create a new PVC
+                        type: boolean
+                      name:
+                        description: Name is the name of the PVC
+                        type: string
+                      size:
+                        anyOf:
+                          - type: integer
+                          - type: string
+                        description: Size of the volume in Gi, used during PVC creation. Required when create is true.
+                        pattern: ^(\+|-)?(([0-9]+(\.[0-9]*)?)|(\.[0-9]+))(([KMGTPE]i)|[numkMGTPE]|([eE](\+|-)?(([0-9]+(\.[0-9]*)?)|(\.[0-9]+))))?$
+                        x-kubernetes-int-or-string: true
+                      storageClass:
+                        description: StorageClass to be used for PVC creation. Required when create is true.
+                        type: string
+                      volumeAccessMode:
+                        description: VolumeAccessMode is the volume access mode of the PVC. Required when create is true.
+                        type: string
+                    required:
+                      - name
+                    type: object
+                    x-kubernetes-validations:
+                      - message: When create is true, size, storageClass, and volumeAccessMode are required
+                        rule: '!has(self.create) || self.create == false || (has(self.size) && has(self.storageClass) && has(self.volumeAccessMode))'
+                  type: array
                 services:
                   additionalProperties:
                     properties:
@@ -10124,31 +10156,6 @@ spec:
                         required:
                           - nodeCount
                         type: object
-                      pvc:
-                        description: PVC config describing volumes to be mounted by the component.
-                        properties:
-                          create:
-                            description: Create indicates to create a new PVC
-                            type: boolean
-                          mountPoint:
-                            type: string
-                          name:
-                            description: Name is the name of the PVC
-                            type: string
-                          size:
-                            anyOf:
-                              - type: integer
-                              - type: string
-                            description: Size of the NIM cache in Gi, used during PVC creation
-                            pattern: ^(\+|-)?(([0-9]+(\.[0-9]*)?)|(\.[0-9]+))(([KMGTPE]i)|[numkMGTPE]|([eE](\+|-)?(([0-9]+(\.[0-9]*)?)|(\.[0-9]+))))?$
-                            x-kubernetes-int-or-string: true
-                          storageClass:
-                            description: StorageClass to be used for PVC creation. Leave it as empty if the PVC is already created.
-                            type: string
-                          volumeAccessMode:
-                            description: VolumeAccessMode is the volume access mode of the PVC
-                            type: string
-                        type: object
                       readinessProbe:
                         description: ReadinessProbe to signal when the container is ready to receive traffic.
                         properties:
@@ -10356,6 +10363,30 @@ spec:
                       subComponentType:
                         description: SubComponentType indicates the sub-role of this component (for example, "prefill").
                         type: string
+                      volumeMounts:
+                        description: VolumeMounts references PVCs defined at the top level for volumes to be mounted by the component.
+                        items:
+                          description: VolumeMount references a PVC defined at the top level for volumes to be mounted by the component
+                          properties:
+                            mountPoint:
+                              description: |-
+                                MountPoint specifies where to mount the volume.
+                                If useAsCompilationCache is true and mountPoint is not specified,
+                                a backend-specific default will be used.
+                              type: string
+                            name:
+                              description: Name references a PVC name defined in the top-level PVCs map
+                              type: string
+                            useAsCompilationCache:
+                              default: false
+                              description: |-
+                                UseAsCompilationCache indicates this volume should be used as a compilation cache.
+                                When true, backend-specific environment variables will be set and default mount points may be used.
+                              type: boolean
+                          required:
+                            - name
+                          type: object
+                        type: array
                     type: object
                   description: |-
                     Services allows per-service overrides of the component deployment settings.

deploy/cloud/operator/api/v1alpha1/common.go

@@ -23,18 +23,34 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/resource"
 )
 
+// +kubebuilder:validation:XValidation:rule="!has(self.create) || self.create == false || (has(self.size) && has(self.storageClass) && has(self.volumeAccessMode))",message="When create is true, size, storageClass, and volumeAccessMode are required"
 type PVC struct {
 	// Create indicates to create a new PVC
 	Create *bool `json:"create,omitempty"`
 	// Name is the name of the PVC
+	// +kubebuilder:validation:Required
 	Name *string `json:"name,omitempty"`
-	// StorageClass to be used for PVC creation. Leave it as empty if the PVC is already created.
+	// StorageClass to be used for PVC creation. Required when create is true.
 	StorageClass string `json:"storageClass,omitempty"`
-	// Size of the NIM cache in Gi, used during PVC creation
+	// Size of the volume in Gi, used during PVC creation. Required when create is true.
 	Size resource.Quantity `json:"size,omitempty"`
-	// VolumeAccessMode is the volume access mode of the PVC
+	// VolumeAccessMode is the volume access mode of the PVC. Required when create is true.
 	VolumeAccessMode corev1.PersistentVolumeAccessMode `json:"volumeAccessMode,omitempty"`
-	MountPoint       *string                           `json:"mountPoint,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// VolumeMount references a PVC defined at the top level for volumes to be mounted by the component
+type VolumeMount struct {
+	// Name references a PVC name defined in the top-level PVCs map
+	// +kubebuilder:validation:Required
+	Name string `json:"name,omitempty"`
+	// MountPoint specifies where to mount the volume.
+	// If useAsCompilationCache is true and mountPoint is not specified,
+	// a backend-specific default will be used.
+	MountPoint string `json:"mountPoint,omitempty"`
+	// UseAsCompilationCache indicates this volume should be used as a compilation cache.
+	// When true, backend-specific environment variables will be set and default mount points may be used.
+	// +kubebuilder:default=false
+	UseAsCompilationCache bool `json:"useAsCompilationCache,omitempty"`
 }
 
 type Autoscaling struct {

deploy/cloud/operator/api/v1alpha1/dynamocomponentdeployment_types.go

@@ -89,8 +89,8 @@ type DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec struct {
 	// EnvFromSecret references a Secret whose key/value pairs will be exposed as
 	// environment variables in the component containers.
 	EnvFromSecret *string `json:"envFromSecret,omitempty"`
-	// PVC config describing volumes to be mounted by the component.
-	PVC *PVC `json:"pvc,omitempty"`
+	// VolumeMounts references PVCs defined at the top level for volumes to be mounted by the component.
+	VolumeMounts []VolumeMount `json:"volumeMounts,omitempty"`
 
 	// Ingress config to expose the component outside the cluster (or through a service mesh).
 	Ingress *IngressSpec `json:"ingress,omitempty"`

deploy/cloud/operator/api/v1alpha1/dynamocomponentdeployment_types_test.go

@@ -25,7 +25,9 @@ import (
 
 	commonconsts "github.com/ai-dynamo/dynamo/deploy/cloud/operator/internal/consts"
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/resource"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	"k8s.io/utils/ptr"
 )
 
 func TestDynamoComponentDeployment_IsFrontendComponent(t *testing.T) {
@@ -261,3 +263,160 @@ func TestDynamoComponentDeployment_GetParentGraphDeploymentName(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestDynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec_VolumeMounts(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name               string
+		spec               DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec
+		expectedMountCount int
+		expectedMounts     []VolumeMount
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "Spec with multiple volume mounts",
+			spec: DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec{
+				VolumeMounts: []VolumeMount{
+					{Name: "data-pvc", MountPoint: "/data"},
+					{Name: "logs-pvc", MountPoint: "/logs"},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedMountCount: 2,
+			expectedMounts: []VolumeMount{
+				{Name: "data-pvc", MountPoint: "/data"},
+				{Name: "logs-pvc", MountPoint: "/logs"},
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "Spec with single volume mount",
+			spec: DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec{
+				VolumeMounts: []VolumeMount{
+					{Name: "shared-storage", MountPoint: "/shared"},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedMountCount: 1,
+			expectedMounts: []VolumeMount{
+				{Name: "shared-storage", MountPoint: "/shared"},
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "Spec without volume mounts",
+			spec: DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec{
+				VolumeMounts: nil,
+			},
+			expectedMountCount: 0,
+			expectedMounts:     nil,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			if len(tt.spec.VolumeMounts) != tt.expectedMountCount {
+				t.Errorf("Volume mount count = %v, want %v", len(tt.spec.VolumeMounts), tt.expectedMountCount)
+			}
+			if !reflect.DeepEqual(tt.spec.VolumeMounts, tt.expectedMounts) {
+				t.Errorf("VolumeMounts = %v, want %v", tt.spec.VolumeMounts, tt.expectedMounts)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestPVC_Validation(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name        string
+		pvc         PVC
+		expectValid bool
+		description string
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "valid PVC with create false",
+			pvc: PVC{
+				Create: ptr.To(false),
+				Name:   ptr.To("test-pvc"),
+			},
+			expectValid: true,
+			description: "When create is false, size/storageClass/volumeAccessMode are not required",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "valid PVC with create nil (omitted)",
+			pvc: PVC{
+				Name: ptr.To("test-pvc"),
+			},
+			expectValid: true,
+			description: "When create is omitted, size/storageClass/volumeAccessMode are not required",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "valid PVC with create true and all required fields",
+			pvc: PVC{
+				Create:           ptr.To(true),
+				Name:             ptr.To("test-pvc"),
+				Size:             resource.MustParse("10Gi"),
+				StorageClass:     "fast-ssd",
+				VolumeAccessMode: corev1.ReadWriteOnce,
+			},
+			expectValid: true,
+			description: "When create is true and all required fields are provided",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "invalid PVC with create true but missing size",
+			pvc: PVC{
+				Create:           ptr.To(true),
+				Name:             ptr.To("test-pvc"),
+				StorageClass:     "fast-ssd",
+				VolumeAccessMode: corev1.ReadWriteOnce,
+			},
+			expectValid: false,
+			description: "When create is true but size is missing",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "invalid PVC with create true but missing storageClass",
+			pvc: PVC{
+				Create:           ptr.To(true),
+				Name:             ptr.To("test-pvc"),
+				Size:             resource.MustParse("10Gi"),
+				VolumeAccessMode: corev1.ReadWriteOnce,
+			},
+			expectValid: false,
+			description: "When create is true but storageClass is missing",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "invalid PVC with create true but missing volumeAccessMode",
+			pvc: PVC{
+				Create:       ptr.To(true),
+				Name:         ptr.To("test-pvc"),
+				Size:         resource.MustParse("10Gi"),
+				StorageClass: "fast-ssd",
+			},
+			expectValid: false,
+			description: "When create is true but volumeAccessMode is missing",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "invalid PVC with create true but missing all required fields",
+			pvc: PVC{
+				Create: ptr.To(true),
+				Name:   ptr.To("test-pvc"),
+			},
+			expectValid: false,
+			description: "When create is true but all required fields are missing",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			if tt.pvc.Create != nil && *tt.pvc.Create {
+				hasSize := !tt.pvc.Size.IsZero()
+				hasStorageClass := tt.pvc.StorageClass != ""
+				hasVolumeAccessMode := tt.pvc.VolumeAccessMode != ""
+
+				isValid := hasSize && hasStorageClass && hasVolumeAccessMode
+
+				if isValid != tt.expectValid {
+					t.Errorf("PVC validation = %v, expected %v. %s", isValid, tt.expectValid, tt.description)
+					t.Errorf("  hasSize: %v, hasStorageClass: %v, hasVolumeAccessMode: %v", hasSize, hasStorageClass, hasVolumeAccessMode)
+				}
+			} else {
+				if !tt.expectValid {
+					t.Errorf("PVC validation should be valid when create is false/nil. %s", tt.description)
+				}
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}

deploy/cloud/operator/api/v1alpha1/dynamographdeployment_types.go

@@ -32,6 +32,10 @@ type DynamoGraphDeploymentSpec struct {
 	// DynamoGraph selects the graph (workflow/topology) to deploy. This must match
 	// a graph name packaged with the Dynamo archive.
 	DynamoGraph string `json:"dynamoGraph,omitempty"`
+	// PVCs defines a list of persistent volume claims that can be referenced by components.
+	// Each PVC must have a unique name that can be referenced in component specifications.
+	// +kubebuilder:validation:Optional
+	PVCs []PVC `json:"pvcs,omitempty"`
 	// Services allows per-service overrides of the component deployment settings.
 	// - key: name of the service defined by the DynamoComponent
 	// - value: overrides for that service

deploy/cloud/operator/api/v1alpha1/zz_generated.deepcopy.go

@@ -233,10 +233,10 @@ func (in *DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec) DeepCopyInto(out *DynamoComponent
 		*out = new(string)
 		**out = **in
 	}
-	if in.PVC != nil {
-		in, out := &in.PVC, &out.PVC
-		*out = new(PVC)
-		(*in).DeepCopyInto(*out)
+	if in.VolumeMounts != nil {
+		in, out := &in.VolumeMounts, &out.VolumeMounts
+		*out = make([]VolumeMount, len(*in))
+		copy(*out, *in)
 	}
 	if in.Ingress != nil {
 		in, out := &in.Ingress, &out.Ingress
@@ -397,6 +397,13 @@ func (in *DynamoGraphDeploymentList) DeepCopyObject() runtime.Object {
 // DeepCopyInto is an autogenerated deepcopy function, copying the receiver, writing into out. in must be non-nil.
 func (in *DynamoGraphDeploymentSpec) DeepCopyInto(out *DynamoGraphDeploymentSpec) {
 	*out = *in
+	if in.PVCs != nil {
+		in, out := &in.PVCs, &out.PVCs
+		*out = make([]PVC, len(*in))
+		for i := range *in {
+			(*in)[i].DeepCopyInto(&(*out)[i])
+		}
+	}
 	if in.Services != nil {
 		in, out := &in.Services, &out.Services
 		*out = make(map[string]*DynamoComponentDeploymentOverridesSpec, len(*in))
@@ -552,11 +559,6 @@ func (in *PVC) DeepCopyInto(out *PVC) {
 		**out = **in
 	}
 	out.Size = in.Size.DeepCopy()
-	if in.MountPoint != nil {
-		in, out := &in.MountPoint, &out.MountPoint
-		*out = new(string)
-		**out = **in
-	}
 }
 
 // DeepCopy is an autogenerated deepcopy function, copying the receiver, creating a new PVC.
@@ -584,3 +586,18 @@ func (in *SharedMemorySpec) DeepCopy() *SharedMemorySpec {
 	in.DeepCopyInto(out)
 	return out
 }
+
+// DeepCopyInto is an autogenerated deepcopy function, copying the receiver, writing into out. in must be non-nil.
+func (in *VolumeMount) DeepCopyInto(out *VolumeMount) {
+	*out = *in
+}
+
+// DeepCopy is an autogenerated deepcopy function, copying the receiver, creating a new VolumeMount.
+func (in *VolumeMount) DeepCopy() *VolumeMount {
+	if in == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	out := new(VolumeMount)
+	in.DeepCopyInto(out)
+	return out
+}

deploy/cloud/operator/config/crd/bases/nvidia.com_dynamocomponentdeployments.yaml

@@ -10025,31 +10025,6 @@ spec:
                   required:
                     - nodeCount
                   type: object
-                pvc:
-                  description: PVC config describing volumes to be mounted by the component.
-                  properties:
-                    create:
-                      description: Create indicates to create a new PVC
-                      type: boolean
-                    mountPoint:
-                      type: string
-                    name:
-                      description: Name is the name of the PVC
-                      type: string
-                    size:
-                      anyOf:
-                        - type: integer
-                        - type: string
-                      description: Size of the NIM cache in Gi, used during PVC creation
-                      pattern: ^(\+|-)?(([0-9]+(\.[0-9]*)?)|(\.[0-9]+))(([KMGTPE]i)|[numkMGTPE]|([eE](\+|-)?(([0-9]+(\.[0-9]*)?)|(\.[0-9]+))))?$
-                      x-kubernetes-int-or-string: true
-                    storageClass:
-                      description: StorageClass to be used for PVC creation. Leave it as empty if the PVC is already created.
-                      type: string
-                    volumeAccessMode:
-                      description: VolumeAccessMode is the volume access mode of the PVC
-                      type: string
-                  type: object
                 readinessProbe:
                   description: ReadinessProbe to signal when the container is ready to receive traffic.
                   properties:
@@ -10257,6 +10232,30 @@ spec:
                 subComponentType:
                   description: SubComponentType indicates the sub-role of this component (for example, "prefill").
                   type: string
+                volumeMounts:
+                  description: VolumeMounts references PVCs defined at the top level for volumes to be mounted by the component.
+                  items:
+                    description: VolumeMount references a PVC defined at the top level for volumes to be mounted by the component
+                    properties:
+                      mountPoint:
+                        description: |-
+                          MountPoint specifies where to mount the volume.
+                          If useAsCompilationCache is true and mountPoint is not specified,
+                          a backend-specific default will be used.
+                        type: string
+                      name:
+                        description: Name references a PVC name defined in the top-level PVCs map
+                        type: string
+                      useAsCompilationCache:
+                        default: false
+                        description: |-
+                          UseAsCompilationCache indicates this volume should be used as a compilation cache.
+                          When true, backend-specific environment variables will be set and default mount points may be used.
+                        type: boolean
+                    required:
+                      - name
+                    type: object
+                  type: array
               type: object
             status:
               description: Status reflects the current observed state of the component deployment.

deploy/cloud/operator/config/crd/bases/nvidia.com_dynamographdeployments.yaml

@@ -180,6 +180,38 @@ spec:
                       - name
                     type: object
                   type: array
+                pvcs:
+                  description: |-
+                    PVCs defines a list of persistent volume claims that can be referenced by components.
+                    Each PVC must have a unique name that can be referenced in component specifications.
+                  items:
+                    properties:
+                      create:
+                        description: Create indicates to create a new PVC
+                        type: boolean
+                      name:
+                        description: Name is the name of the PVC
+                        type: string
+                      size:
+                        anyOf:
+                          - type: integer
+                          - type: string
+                        description: Size of the volume in Gi, used during PVC creation. Required when create is true.
+                        pattern: ^(\+|-)?(([0-9]+(\.[0-9]*)?)|(\.[0-9]+))(([KMGTPE]i)|[numkMGTPE]|([eE](\+|-)?(([0-9]+(\.[0-9]*)?)|(\.[0-9]+))))?$
+                        x-kubernetes-int-or-string: true
+                      storageClass:
+                        description: StorageClass to be used for PVC creation. Required when create is true.
+                        type: string
+                      volumeAccessMode:
+                        description: VolumeAccessMode is the volume access mode of the PVC. Required when create is true.
+                        type: string
+                    required:
+                      - name
+                    type: object
+                    x-kubernetes-validations:
+                      - message: When create is true, size, storageClass, and volumeAccessMode are required
+                        rule: '!has(self.create) || self.create == false || (has(self.size) && has(self.storageClass) && has(self.volumeAccessMode))'
+                  type: array
                 services:
                   additionalProperties:
                     properties:
@@ -10124,31 +10156,6 @@ spec:
                         required:
                           - nodeCount
                         type: object
-                      pvc:
-                        description: PVC config describing volumes to be mounted by the component.
-                        properties:
-                          create:
-                            description: Create indicates to create a new PVC
-                            type: boolean
-                          mountPoint:
-                            type: string
-                          name:
-                            description: Name is the name of the PVC
-                            type: string
-                          size:
-                            anyOf:
-                              - type: integer
-                              - type: string
-                            description: Size of the NIM cache in Gi, used during PVC creation
-                            pattern: ^(\+|-)?(([0-9]+(\.[0-9]*)?)|(\.[0-9]+))(([KMGTPE]i)|[numkMGTPE]|([eE](\+|-)?(([0-9]+(\.[0-9]*)?)|(\.[0-9]+))))?$
-                            x-kubernetes-int-or-string: true
-                          storageClass:
-                            description: StorageClass to be used for PVC creation. Leave it as empty if the PVC is already created.
-                            type: string
-                          volumeAccessMode:
-                            description: VolumeAccessMode is the volume access mode of the PVC
-                            type: string
-                        type: object
                       readinessProbe:
                         description: ReadinessProbe to signal when the container is ready to receive traffic.
                         properties:
@@ -10356,6 +10363,30 @@ spec:
                       subComponentType:
                         description: SubComponentType indicates the sub-role of this component (for example, "prefill").
                         type: string
+                      volumeMounts:
+                        description: VolumeMounts references PVCs defined at the top level for volumes to be mounted by the component.
+                        items:
+                          description: VolumeMount references a PVC defined at the top level for volumes to be mounted by the component
+                          properties:
+                            mountPoint:
+                              description: |-
+                                MountPoint specifies where to mount the volume.
+                                If useAsCompilationCache is true and mountPoint is not specified,
+                                a backend-specific default will be used.
+                              type: string
+                            name:
+                              description: Name references a PVC name defined in the top-level PVCs map
+                              type: string
+                            useAsCompilationCache:
+                              default: false
+                              description: |-
+                                UseAsCompilationCache indicates this volume should be used as a compilation cache.
+                                When true, backend-specific environment variables will be set and default mount points may be used.
+                              type: boolean
+                          required:
+                            - name
+                          type: object
+                        type: array
                     type: object
                   description: |-
                     Services allows per-service overrides of the component deployment settings.

deploy/cloud/operator/internal/consts/consts.go

@@ -65,6 +65,9 @@ const (
 	DefaultSharedMemoryMountPath = "/dev/shm"
 	DefaultSharedMemorySize      = "8Gi"
 
+	// Compilation cache default mount points
+	DefaultVLLMCacheMountPoint = "/root/.cache/vllm"
+
 	// Kai-scheduler related constants
 	KubeAnnotationKaiSchedulerQueue = "nvidia.com/kai-scheduler-queue" // User-provided annotation to specify queue name
 	KubeLabelKaiSchedulerQueue      = "kai.scheduler/queue"            // Label injected into pods for kai-scheduler

deploy/cloud/operator/internal/controller/dynamocomponentdeployment_controller.go

@@ -50,7 +50,6 @@ import (
 	ctrl "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/builder"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
-	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/controller/controllerutil"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/event"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/log"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/predicate"
@@ -189,13 +188,6 @@ func (r *DynamoComponentDeploymentReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req
 
 	modified := false
 
-	// Reconcile PVC
-	_, err = r.reconcilePVC(ctx, dynamoComponentDeployment)
-	if err != nil {
-		logs.Error(err, "Unable to create PVC", "crd", req.NamespacedName)
-		return ctrl.Result{}, err
-	}
-
 	// Create the appropriate workload resource based on deployment type
 	var leaderWorkerSets []*leaderworkersetv1.LeaderWorkerSet
 	var deployment *appsv1.Deployment
@@ -681,41 +673,6 @@ func IsDeploymentReady(deployment *appsv1.Deployment) bool {
 	return false
 }
 
-func (r *DynamoComponentDeploymentReconciler) reconcilePVC(ctx context.Context, crd *v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeployment) (*corev1.PersistentVolumeClaim, error) {
-	logger := log.FromContext(ctx)
-	if crd.Spec.PVC == nil {
-		return nil, nil
-	}
-	pvcConfig := *crd.Spec.PVC
-	pvc := &corev1.PersistentVolumeClaim{}
-	pvcName := types.NamespacedName{Name: getPvcName(crd, pvcConfig.Name), Namespace: crd.GetNamespace()}
-	err := r.Get(ctx, pvcName, pvc)
-	if err != nil && client.IgnoreNotFound(err) != nil {
-		logger.Error(err, "Unable to retrieve PVC", "crd", crd.GetName())
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	// If PVC does not exist, create a new one
-	if err != nil {
-		if pvcConfig.Create == nil || !*pvcConfig.Create {
-			logger.Error(err, "Unknown PVC", "pvc", pvc.Name)
-			return nil, err
-		}
-		pvc = constructPVC(crd, pvcConfig)
-		if err := controllerutil.SetControllerReference(crd, pvc, r.Client.Scheme()); err != nil {
-			logger.Error(err, "Failed to set controller reference", "pvc", pvc.Name)
-			return nil, err
-		}
-		err = r.Create(ctx, pvc)
-		if err != nil {
-			logger.Error(err, "Failed to create pvc", "pvc", pvc.Name)
-			return nil, err
-		}
-		logger.Info("PVC created", "pvc", pvcName)
-	}
-	return pvc, nil
-}
-
 func (r *DynamoComponentDeploymentReconciler) setStatusConditions(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Request, conditions ...metav1.Condition) (dynamoComponentDeployment *v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeployment, err error) {
 	dynamoComponentDeployment = &v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeployment{}
 	maxRetries := 3

deploy/cloud/operator/internal/controller/dynamographdeployment_controller.go

@@ -32,11 +32,13 @@ import (
 	networkingv1 "k8s.io/api/networking/v1"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/scale"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/tools/record"
 	ctrl "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/builder"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/controller/controllerutil"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/event"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/log"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/predicate"
@@ -155,6 +157,14 @@ type Resource interface {
 
 func (r *DynamoGraphDeploymentReconciler) reconcileResources(ctx context.Context, dynamoDeployment *nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoGraphDeployment) (State, Reason, Message, error) {
 	logger := log.FromContext(ctx)
+
+	// Reconcile top-level PVCs first
+	err := r.reconcilePVCs(ctx, dynamoDeployment)
+	if err != nil {
+		logger.Error(err, "Failed to reconcile top-level PVCs")
+		return "", "", "", fmt.Errorf("failed to reconcile top-level PVCs: %w", err)
+	}
+
 	// Orchestrator selection via single boolean annotation: nvidia.com/enable-grove
 	// Unset or not "false": Grove if available; else component mode
 	// "false": component mode (multinode -> LWS; single-node -> standard)
@@ -408,6 +418,68 @@ func (r *DynamoGraphDeploymentReconciler) reconcileDynamoComponentsDeployments(c
 	return r.checkResourcesReadiness(resources)
 }
 
+// reconcilePVC reconciles a single top-level PVC defined in the DynamoGraphDeployment spec
+func (r *DynamoGraphDeploymentReconciler) reconcilePVC(ctx context.Context, dynamoDeployment *nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoGraphDeployment, pvcName string, pvcConfig nvidiacomv1alpha1.PVC) (*corev1.PersistentVolumeClaim, error) {
+	logger := log.FromContext(ctx)
+
+	pvc := &corev1.PersistentVolumeClaim{}
+	pvcNamespacedName := types.NamespacedName{Name: pvcName, Namespace: dynamoDeployment.Namespace}
+	err := r.Get(ctx, pvcNamespacedName, pvc)
+	if err != nil && client.IgnoreNotFound(err) != nil {
+		logger.Error(err, "Unable to retrieve top-level PVC", "pvcName", pvcName)
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	// If PVC does not exist, create a new one
+	if err != nil {
+		if pvcConfig.Create == nil || !*pvcConfig.Create {
+			logger.Error(err, "Top-level PVC does not exist and create is not enabled", "pvcName", pvcName)
+			return nil, err
+		}
+
+		pvc = constructPVC(dynamoDeployment, pvcConfig)
+		if err := controllerutil.SetControllerReference(dynamoDeployment, pvc, r.Client.Scheme()); err != nil {
+			logger.Error(err, "Failed to set controller reference for top-level PVC", "pvcName", pvcName)
+			return nil, err
+		}
+
+		err = r.Create(ctx, pvc)
+		if err != nil {
+			logger.Error(err, "Failed to create top-level PVC", "pvcName", pvcName)
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		logger.Info("Top-level PVC created", "pvcName", pvcName, "namespace", dynamoDeployment.Namespace)
+	}
+
+	return pvc, nil
+}
+
+// reconcilePVCs reconciles all top-level PVCs defined in the DynamoGraphDeployment spec
+func (r *DynamoGraphDeploymentReconciler) reconcilePVCs(ctx context.Context, dynamoDeployment *nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoGraphDeployment) error {
+	logger := log.FromContext(ctx)
+
+	if dynamoDeployment.Spec.PVCs == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	for _, pvcConfig := range dynamoDeployment.Spec.PVCs {
+		if pvcConfig.Name == nil || *pvcConfig.Name == "" {
+			logger.Error(nil, "PVC not reconcilable: name is required", "pvcConfig", pvcConfig)
+			continue
+		}
+
+		pvcName := *pvcConfig.Name
+		logger.Info("Reconciling top-level PVC", "pvcName", pvcName, "namespace", dynamoDeployment.Namespace)
+
+		_, err := r.reconcilePVC(ctx, dynamoDeployment, pvcName, pvcConfig)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (r *DynamoGraphDeploymentReconciler) FinalizeResource(ctx context.Context, dynamoDeployment *nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoGraphDeployment) error {
 	// for now doing nothing
 	return nil
@@ -427,6 +499,13 @@ func (r *DynamoGraphDeploymentReconciler) SetupWithManager(mgr ctrl.Manager) err
 			UpdateFunc:  func(de event.UpdateEvent) bool { return true },
 			GenericFunc: func(ge event.GenericEvent) bool { return true },
 		})).
+		Owns(&corev1.PersistentVolumeClaim{}, builder.WithPredicates(predicate.Funcs{
+			// ignore creation cause we don't want to be called again after we create the PVC
+			CreateFunc:  func(ce event.CreateEvent) bool { return false },
+			DeleteFunc:  func(de event.DeleteEvent) bool { return true },
+			UpdateFunc:  func(de event.UpdateEvent) bool { return true },
+			GenericFunc: func(ge event.GenericEvent) bool { return true },
+		})).
 		WithEventFilter(commonController.EphemeralDeploymentEventFilter(r.Config))
 	if r.Config.Grove.Enabled {
 		ctrlBuilder = ctrlBuilder.Owns(&grovev1alpha1.PodCliqueSet{}, builder.WithPredicates(predicate.Funcs{

deploy/cloud/operator/internal/dynamo/backend_sglang.go

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/ai-dynamo/dynamo/deploy/cloud/operator/api/v1alpha1"
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/log"
 )
 
 const (
@@ -26,6 +27,20 @@ func isPythonCommand(cmd string) bool {
 }
 
 func (b *SGLangBackend) UpdateContainer(container *corev1.Container, numberOfNodes int32, role Role, component *v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentOverridesSpec, serviceName string, multinodeDeployer MultinodeDeployer) {
+	// Check for volumeMounts with useAsCompilationCache=true
+	for _, volumeMount := range component.VolumeMounts {
+		if volumeMount.UseAsCompilationCache {
+			logger := log.Log.WithName("sglang-backend")
+			logger.Info("Compilation cache configured for SGLang but not yet fully supported",
+				"backend", "sglang",
+				"status", "partial-support",
+				"cache-dir", volumeMount.MountPoint,
+				"use-as-compilation-cache", true,
+				"env-vars-set", false,
+				"next-steps", "upstream SGLang changes needed")
+		}
+	}
+
 	// For single node, nothing to do
 	if numberOfNodes <= 1 {
 		return

deploy/cloud/operator/internal/dynamo/backend_sglang_test.go

@@ -301,7 +301,6 @@ func TestSGLangBackend_ShellCommandInjection(t *testing.T) {
 				t.Errorf("UpdateContainer() args = %v, want %v", container.Args, tt.expectedArgs)
 			}
 
-			// Verify command is still sh -c for shell commands
 			expectedCommand := tt.initialCommand
 			if !reflect.DeepEqual(container.Command, expectedCommand) {
 				t.Errorf("UpdateContainer() should preserve shell command, got: %v, want: %v", container.Command, expectedCommand)
@@ -438,7 +437,6 @@ func TestSGLangBackend_ProbeRemoval(t *testing.T) {
 
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			// Create initial probes
 			livenessProbe := &corev1.Probe{InitialDelaySeconds: 30}
 			readinessProbe := &corev1.Probe{InitialDelaySeconds: 10}
 			startupProbe := &corev1.Probe{InitialDelaySeconds: 5}
@@ -476,3 +474,101 @@ func TestSGLangBackend_ProbeRemoval(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestSGLangBackend_UpdateContainer_UseAsCompilationCache(t *testing.T) {
+	backend := &SGLangBackend{}
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name                       string
+		component                  *v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentOverridesSpec
+		volumeMounts               []corev1.VolumeMount
+		expectNoEnvVarChanges      bool
+		expectLoggedPartialSupport bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "SGLang backend with useAsCompilationCache volume mount",
+			component: &v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentOverridesSpec{
+				DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec: v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec{
+					VolumeMounts: []v1alpha1.VolumeMount{
+						{
+							Name:                  "sglang-cache",
+							MountPoint:            "/cache/sglang",
+							UseAsCompilationCache: true,
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			volumeMounts:               []corev1.VolumeMount{},
+			expectNoEnvVarChanges:      true, // SGLang doesn't set env vars yet
+			expectLoggedPartialSupport: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "SGLang backend with useAsCompilationCache at custom volume mount",
+			component: &v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentOverridesSpec{
+				DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec: v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec{
+					VolumeMounts: []v1alpha1.VolumeMount{
+						{
+							Name:                  "custom-cache",
+							MountPoint:            "/custom/cache/path",
+							UseAsCompilationCache: true,
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			volumeMounts:               []corev1.VolumeMount{},
+			expectNoEnvVarChanges:      true, // SGLang doesn't set env vars yet
+			expectLoggedPartialSupport: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "SGLang backend without useAsCompilationCache volume mount",
+			component: &v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentOverridesSpec{
+				DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec: v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec{
+					VolumeMounts: []v1alpha1.VolumeMount{
+						{
+							Name:       "regular-volume",
+							MountPoint: "/data",
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			volumeMounts:               []corev1.VolumeMount{},
+			expectNoEnvVarChanges:      true,
+			expectLoggedPartialSupport: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "SGLang backend with no volume mounts",
+			component: &v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentOverridesSpec{
+				DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec: v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec{
+					VolumeMounts: nil,
+				},
+			},
+			volumeMounts:               []corev1.VolumeMount{},
+			expectNoEnvVarChanges:      true,
+			expectLoggedPartialSupport: false,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			// Create a container with initial state including volume mounts
+			container := &corev1.Container{
+				Env:          []corev1.EnvVar{},
+				VolumeMounts: tt.volumeMounts,
+			}
+
+			// Store original env vars for comparison
+			originalEnvCount := len(container.Env)
+
+			// Call UpdateContainer (single node to avoid multinode logic)
+			backend.UpdateContainer(container, 1, RoleMain, tt.component, "test-service", &GroveMultinodeDeployer{})
+
+			if tt.expectNoEnvVarChanges {
+				// Check that no new environment variables were added
+				if len(container.Env) != originalEnvCount {
+					t.Errorf("Expected no environment variable changes, but env count changed from %d to %d", originalEnvCount, len(container.Env))
+				}
+			}
+
+		})
+	}
+}

deploy/cloud/operator/internal/dynamo/backend_trtllm.go

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 	commonconsts "github.com/ai-dynamo/dynamo/deploy/cloud/operator/internal/consts"
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/intstr"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/log"
 )
 
 type TRTLLMBackend struct {
@@ -18,6 +19,19 @@ type TRTLLMBackend struct {
 }
 
 func (b *TRTLLMBackend) UpdateContainer(container *corev1.Container, numberOfNodes int32, role Role, component *v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentOverridesSpec, serviceName string, multinodeDeployer MultinodeDeployer) {
+	// Check for volumeMounts with useAsCompilationCache=true
+	for _, volumeMount := range component.VolumeMounts {
+		if volumeMount.UseAsCompilationCache {
+			logger := log.Log.WithName("trtllm-backend")
+			logger.Info("Compilation cache configured for TensorRT-LLM but not yet fully supported",
+				"backend", "trtllm",
+				"status", "partial-support",
+				"use-as-compilation-cache", true,
+				"env-vars-set", false,
+				"next-steps", "upstream TensorRT-LLM changes needed")
+		}
+	}
+
 	// For single node, nothing to do
 	if numberOfNodes <= 1 {
 		return

deploy/cloud/operator/internal/dynamo/backend_trtllm_test.go

@@ -143,10 +143,8 @@ func TestTRTLLMBackend_UpdateContainer(t *testing.T) {
 				StartupProbe:   &corev1.Probe{},
 			}
 
-			// Call UpdateContainer
 			backend.UpdateContainer(container, tt.numberOfNodes, tt.role, tt.component, "test-service", tt.multinodeDeployer)
 
-			// Use helper functions to validate results
 			validateVolumeMounts(t, container, tt.expectedVolumeMounts)
 			validateCommand(t, container, tt.expectedCommand)
 			validateArgs(t, container, tt.expectedArgs)
@@ -816,3 +814,100 @@ func TestTRTLLMBackend_getGPUsPerNode(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestTRTLLMBackend_UpdateContainer_UseAsCompilationCache(t *testing.T) {
+	backend := &TRTLLMBackend{}
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name                       string
+		component                  *v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentOverridesSpec
+		volumeMounts               []corev1.VolumeMount
+		expectNoEnvVarChanges      bool
+		expectLoggedPartialSupport bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "TensorRT-LLM backend with useAsCompilationCache volume mount",
+			component: &v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentOverridesSpec{
+				DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec: v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec{
+					VolumeMounts: []v1alpha1.VolumeMount{
+						{
+							Name:                  "trtllm-cache",
+							MountPoint:            "/cache/trtllm",
+							UseAsCompilationCache: true,
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			volumeMounts:               []corev1.VolumeMount{},
+			expectNoEnvVarChanges:      true, // TensorRT-LLM doesn't set env vars yet
+			expectLoggedPartialSupport: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "TensorRT-LLM backend with useAsCompilationCache at custom mount point",
+			component: &v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentOverridesSpec{
+				DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec: v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec{
+					VolumeMounts: []v1alpha1.VolumeMount{
+						{
+							Name:                  "custom-cache",
+							MountPoint:            "/custom/cache/path",
+							UseAsCompilationCache: true,
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			volumeMounts:               []corev1.VolumeMount{},
+			expectNoEnvVarChanges:      true, // TensorRT-LLM doesn't set env vars yet
+			expectLoggedPartialSupport: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "TensorRT-LLM backend without useAsCompilationCache",
+			component: &v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentOverridesSpec{
+				DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec: v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec{
+					VolumeMounts: []v1alpha1.VolumeMount{
+						{
+							Name:       "regular-volume",
+							MountPoint: "/data",
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			volumeMounts:               []corev1.VolumeMount{},
+			expectNoEnvVarChanges:      true,
+			expectLoggedPartialSupport: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "TensorRT-LLM backend with no volume mounts",
+			component: &v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentOverridesSpec{
+				DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec: v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec{
+					VolumeMounts: nil,
+				},
+			},
+			volumeMounts:               []corev1.VolumeMount{},
+			expectNoEnvVarChanges:      true,
+			expectLoggedPartialSupport: false,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			// Create a container with initial state including volume mounts
+			container := &corev1.Container{
+				Env:          []corev1.EnvVar{},
+				VolumeMounts: tt.volumeMounts,
+			}
+
+			// Store original env vars for comparison
+			originalEnvCount := len(container.Env)
+
+			// Call UpdateContainer (single node to avoid multinode logic)
+			backend.UpdateContainer(container, 1, RoleMain, tt.component, "test-service", &GroveMultinodeDeployer{})
+
+			if tt.expectNoEnvVarChanges {
+				// Check that no new environment variables were added
+				if len(container.Env) != originalEnvCount {
+					t.Errorf("Expected no environment variable changes, but env count changed from %d to %d", originalEnvCount, len(container.Env))
+				}
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}