diff --git a/.buildkite/release-pipeline.yaml b/.buildkite/release-pipeline.yaml
index 92a1bcada387..2705892dbb1a 100644
--- a/.buildkite/release-pipeline.yaml
+++ b/.buildkite/release-pipeline.yaml
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 steps:
   # aarch64 + CUDA builds
-  - label: "Build arm64 wheel - CUDA 12.8"
-    id: build-wheel-arm64-cuda-12-8
+  - label: "Build arm64 wheel - CUDA 12.9"
+    id: build-wheel-arm64-cuda-12-9
     agents:
       queue: arm64_cpu_queue_postmerge
     commands:
       # #NOTE: torch_cuda_arch_list is derived from upstream PyTorch build files here:
       # https://github.com/pytorch/pytorch/blob/main/.ci/aarch64_linux/aarch64_ci_build.sh#L7
-      - "DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1 docker build --build-arg max_jobs=16 --build-arg USE_SCCACHE=1 --build-arg GIT_REPO_CHECK=1 --build-arg CUDA_VERSION=12.8.1 --build-arg torch_cuda_arch_list='8.7 9.0 10.0+PTX 12.0' --tag vllm-ci:build-image --target build --progress plain -f docker/Dockerfile ."
+      - "DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1 docker build --build-arg max_jobs=16 --build-arg USE_SCCACHE=1 --build-arg GIT_REPO_CHECK=1 --build-arg CUDA_VERSION=12.9.1 --build-arg torch_cuda_arch_list='8.7 9.0 10.0+PTX 12.0' --tag vllm-ci:build-image --target build --progress plain -f docker/Dockerfile ."
       - "mkdir artifacts"
       - "docker run --rm -v $(pwd)/artifacts:/artifacts_host vllm-ci:build-image bash -c 'cp -r dist /artifacts_host && chmod -R a+rw /artifacts_host'"
       - "bash .buildkite/scripts/upload-wheels.sh"
@@ -15,12 +15,12 @@ steps:
       DOCKER_BUILDKIT: "1"
 
   # x86 + CUDA builds
-  - label: "Build wheel - CUDA 12.8"
-    id: build-wheel-cuda-12-8
+  - label: "Build wheel - CUDA 12.9"
+    id: build-wheel-cuda-12-9
     agents:
       queue: cpu_queue_postmerge
     commands:
-      - "DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1 docker build --build-arg max_jobs=16 --build-arg USE_SCCACHE=1 --build-arg GIT_REPO_CHECK=1 --build-arg CUDA_VERSION=12.8.1 --tag vllm-ci:build-image --target build --progress plain -f docker/Dockerfile ."
+      - "DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1 docker build --build-arg max_jobs=16 --build-arg USE_SCCACHE=1 --build-arg GIT_REPO_CHECK=1 --build-arg CUDA_VERSION=12.9.1 --tag vllm-ci:build-image --target build --progress plain -f docker/Dockerfile ."
       - "mkdir artifacts"
       - "docker run --rm -v $(pwd)/artifacts:/artifacts_host vllm-ci:build-image bash -c 'cp -r dist /artifacts_host && chmod -R a+rw /artifacts_host'"
       - "bash .buildkite/scripts/upload-wheels.sh"
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ steps:
       queue: cpu_queue_postmerge
     commands:
       - "aws ecr-public get-login-password --region us-east-1 | docker login --username AWS --password-stdin public.ecr.aws/q9t5s3a7"
-      - "DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1 docker build --build-arg max_jobs=16 --build-arg USE_SCCACHE=1 --build-arg GIT_REPO_CHECK=1 --build-arg CUDA_VERSION=12.8.1 --build-arg FLASHINFER_AOT_COMPILE=true --build-arg INSTALL_KV_CONNECTORS=true --tag public.ecr.aws/q9t5s3a7/vllm-release-repo:$BUILDKITE_COMMIT-$(uname -m) --target vllm-openai --progress plain -f docker/Dockerfile ."
+      - "DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1 docker build --build-arg max_jobs=16 --build-arg USE_SCCACHE=1 --build-arg GIT_REPO_CHECK=1 --build-arg CUDA_VERSION=12.9.1 --build-arg FLASHINFER_AOT_COMPILE=true --build-arg INSTALL_KV_CONNECTORS=true --tag public.ecr.aws/q9t5s3a7/vllm-release-repo:$BUILDKITE_COMMIT-$(uname -m) --target vllm-openai --progress plain -f docker/Dockerfile ."
       - "docker push public.ecr.aws/q9t5s3a7/vllm-release-repo:$BUILDKITE_COMMIT-$(uname -m)"
       # re-tag to default image tag and push, just in case arm64 build fails
       - "docker tag public.ecr.aws/q9t5s3a7/vllm-release-repo:$BUILDKITE_COMMIT-$(uname -m) public.ecr.aws/q9t5s3a7/vllm-release-repo:$BUILDKITE_COMMIT"
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ steps:
       queue: arm64_cpu_queue_postmerge
     commands:
       - "aws ecr-public get-login-password --region us-east-1 | docker login --username AWS --password-stdin public.ecr.aws/q9t5s3a7"
-      - "DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1 docker build --build-arg max_jobs=16 --build-arg USE_SCCACHE=1 --build-arg GIT_REPO_CHECK=1 --build-arg CUDA_VERSION=12.8.1 --build-arg torch_cuda_arch_list='8.7 9.0 10.0+PTX 12.0' --build-arg INSTALL_KV_CONNECTORS=true --tag public.ecr.aws/q9t5s3a7/vllm-release-repo:$BUILDKITE_COMMIT-$(uname -m) --target vllm-openai --progress plain -f docker/Dockerfile ."
+      - "DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1 docker build --build-arg max_jobs=16 --build-arg USE_SCCACHE=1 --build-arg GIT_REPO_CHECK=1 --build-arg CUDA_VERSION=12.9.1 --build-arg torch_cuda_arch_list='8.7 9.0 10.0+PTX 12.0' --build-arg INSTALL_KV_CONNECTORS=true --tag public.ecr.aws/q9t5s3a7/vllm-release-repo:$BUILDKITE_COMMIT-$(uname -m) --target vllm-openai --progress plain -f docker/Dockerfile ."
       - "docker push public.ecr.aws/q9t5s3a7/vllm-release-repo:$BUILDKITE_COMMIT-$(uname -m)"
 
   # Add job to create multi-arch manifest
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ steps:
   - label: "Annotate release workflow"
     depends_on:
       - create-multi-arch-manifest
-      - build-wheel-cuda-12-8
+      - build-wheel-cuda-12-9
       - build-wheel-cuda-12-6
       - build-wheel-cuda-11-8
     id: annotate-release-workflow
diff --git a/docker/Dockerfile b/docker/Dockerfile
index 2e272cbca841..33af761f4f8c 100644
--- a/docker/Dockerfile
+++ b/docker/Dockerfile
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 # docs/contributing/dockerfile/dockerfile.md and
 # docs/assets/contributing/dockerfile-stages-dependency.png
 
-ARG CUDA_VERSION=12.8.1
+ARG CUDA_VERSION=12.9.1
 ARG PYTHON_VERSION=3.12
 
 # By parameterizing the base images, we allow third-party to use their own
diff --git a/docs/assets/contributing/dockerfile-stages-dependency.png b/docs/assets/contributing/dockerfile-stages-dependency.png
index 0838bfa37fe6..f8c104ba1425 100644
Binary files a/docs/assets/contributing/dockerfile-stages-dependency.png and b/docs/assets/contributing/dockerfile-stages-dependency.png differ