diff --git a/src/axolotl/loaders/model.py b/src/axolotl/loaders/model.py
index 05039c9ee..1b983f7d0 100644
--- a/src/axolotl/loaders/model.py
+++ b/src/axolotl/loaders/model.py
@@ -845,6 +845,9 @@ class ModelLoader:
                 self.model._tp_size = self.cfg.tensor_parallel_size
                 self.model._device_mesh = self.model_kwargs["device_mesh"]
 
+        if self.cfg.experimental_skip_move_to_device is not None:
+            skip_move_to_device = self.cfg.experimental_skip_move_to_device
+
         return skip_move_to_device
 
     def _set_z3_leaf_modules(self):
diff --git a/src/axolotl/utils/schemas/model.py b/src/axolotl/utils/schemas/model.py
index 5eea11444..eae8dacb6 100644
--- a/src/axolotl/utils/schemas/model.py
+++ b/src/axolotl/utils/schemas/model.py
@@ -62,6 +62,14 @@ class ModelInputConfig(BaseModel):
         json_schema_extra={"description": "Trust remote code for untrusted source"},
     )
 
+    experimental_skip_move_to_device: bool | None = Field(
+        default=None,
+        json_schema_extra={
+            "description": "Don't move the model to the device before sharding. "
+            "This is an experimental feature that may be included in the future as the default."
+        },
+    )
+
     @field_validator("trust_remote_code")
     @classmethod
     def hint_trust_remote_code(cls, trust_remote_code):