diff --git a/build_tools/download_peano.sh b/build_tools/download_peano.sh
index 70c8693f5..d5001a215 100644
--- a/build_tools/download_peano.sh
+++ b/build_tools/download_peano.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
-RELEASE=19.0.0.2024082221+90abe71b
+RELEASE=19.0.0.2024083101+42158757
 pip download llvm_aie==$RELEASE -f https://github.com/Xilinx/llvm-aie/releases/expanded_assets/nightly
 unzip llvm_aie*whl
diff --git a/compiler/plugins/target/AMD-AIE/iree-amd-aie/Target/XCLBinGen.cpp b/compiler/plugins/target/AMD-AIE/iree-amd-aie/Target/XCLBinGen.cpp
index 5de16906f..d68567b17 100644
--- a/compiler/plugins/target/AMD-AIE/iree-amd-aie/Target/XCLBinGen.cpp
+++ b/compiler/plugins/target/AMD-AIE/iree-amd-aie/Target/XCLBinGen.cpp
@@ -507,7 +507,7 @@ static_assert(std::is_same_v<decltype(assembleStringUsingChess),
 static LogicalResult generateCoreElfFiles(
     AIE::DeviceOp deviceOp, const std::string &objFile, Path &tempDir,
     bool useChess, std::optional<Path> vitisDir, const std::string &targetArch,
-    bool verbose, Path peanoDir, const std::string &npuVersion,
+    bool verbose, const Path &peanoDir, const std::string &npuVersion,
     const std::optional<std::string> &ukernel) {
   auto tileOps = deviceOp.getOps<AIE::TileOp>();
   std::string errorMessage;
@@ -532,22 +532,29 @@ static LogicalResult generateCoreElfFiles(
     Path cwd = std::filesystem::current_path();
     FailureOr<Path> mmObjectFilePath;
     if (ukernel && (ukernel == "mm" || ukernel == "all")) {
-      FailureOr<Path> maybeVitisDir = findVitis(vitisDir, npuVersion);
-      if (failed(maybeVitisDir)) {
-        llvm::errs() << "compiling ukernels currently requires chess (even if "
-                        "you're using peano)";
-        return failure();
-      }
       if (!std::filesystem::exists(cwd / "mm.o")) {
-        mmObjectFilePath = assembleStringUsingChess(
-            /*inputFileStr=*/_MM_CC,
-            /*inputFileName=*/"mm.cc",
-            /*outputFileName=*/"mm.o",
-            /*outputDir=*/cwd,
-            /*extraArgs*/ std::vector<std::string>{},
-            /*workDir=*/tempDir,
-            /*vitisDir=*/*maybeVitisDir,
-            /*npuVersion*/ npuVersion, verbose);
+        FailureOr<Path> maybeVitisDir = findVitis(vitisDir, npuVersion);
+        if (maybeVitisDir) {
+          mmObjectFilePath = assembleStringUsingChess(
+              /*inputFileStr=*/_MM_CC,
+              /*inputFileName=*/"mm.cc",
+              /*outputFileName=*/"mm.o",
+              /*outputDir=*/cwd,
+              /*extraArgs*/ std::vector<std::string>{},
+              /*workDir=*/tempDir,
+              /*vitisDir=*/*maybeVitisDir,
+              /*npuVersion*/ npuVersion, verbose);
+        } else {
+          mmObjectFilePath = assembleStringUsingPeano(
+              /*inputFileStr=*/_MM_CC,
+              /*inputFileName=*/"mm.cc",
+              /*outputFileName=*/"mm.o",
+              /*outputDir=*/cwd,
+              /*extraArgs*/ std::vector<std::string>{},
+              /*workDir=*/tempDir,
+              /*peanoDir=*/peanoDir,
+              /*npuVersion*/ npuVersion, verbose);
+        }
         if (failed(mmObjectFilePath)) return failure();
       } else {
         mmObjectFilePath = cwd / "mm.o";