diff --git a/core/backend/options.go b/core/backend/options.go
index 3268c9287..85c67f60d 100644
--- a/core/backend/options.go
+++ b/core/backend/options.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package backend
 
 import (
+	"strings"
 	"math/rand"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
@@ -109,6 +110,16 @@ func grpcModelOpts(c config.ModelConfig, modelPath string) *pb.ModelOptions {
 		mmap = *c.MMap
 	}
 
+	// Intel SYCL backend has issues with mmap enabled
+	// See: https://github.com/mudler/LocalAI/issues/9012
+	// Automatically disable mmap for Intel SYCL backends
+	if c.Backend != "" {
+		if strings.Contains(strings.ToLower(c.Backend), "intel") || strings.Contains(strings.ToLower(c.Backend), "sycl") {
+			mmap = false
+			xlog.Info("Auto-disabling mmap for Intel SYCL backend", "backend", c.Backend)
+		}
+	}
+
 	ctxSize := 4096
 	if c.ContextSize != nil {
 		ctxSize = *c.ContextSize