diff --git a/checkpoint/orbax/checkpoint/_src/asyncio_utils.py b/checkpoint/orbax/checkpoint/_src/asyncio_utils.py
index 7b7e80f8e..24caad861 100644
--- a/checkpoint/orbax/checkpoint/_src/asyncio_utils.py
+++ b/checkpoint/orbax/checkpoint/_src/asyncio_utils.py
@@ -122,10 +122,14 @@ def run_coroutine(self, coro: Coroutine[Any, Any, _T]) -> futures.Future[_T]:
       raise RuntimeError('AsyncRunner has been shut down.')
     return asyncio.run_coroutine_threadsafe(coro, self._loop)
 
-  def shutdown(self) -> None:
+  def shutdown(self, wait: bool = True) -> None:
     """Stops the event loop, waiting for tasks to complete.
 
     See the note in the class docstring regarding thread-safety.
+
+    Args:
+      wait: If True, wait for all tasks to complete before shutting down.
+        Otherwise, the shutdown will be non-blocking.
     """
     if self._is_closed:
       return
@@ -149,11 +153,19 @@ async def _shutdown_tasks():
         logging.info('AsyncRunner: All tasks finished.')
       else:
         logging.info('AsyncRunner: No active tasks to wait for.')
-      logging.info('AsyncRunner: Stopping event loop.')
 
-    asyncio.run_coroutine_threadsafe(_shutdown_tasks(), self._loop).result()
-
-    # Place the stop command gracefully at the end of the event queue.
-    self._loop.call_soon_threadsafe(self._loop.stop)
-    # Wait for the thread to exit.
-    self._thread.join()
+    logging.info('AsyncRunner: Shutting down (wait=%s)...', wait)
+    shutdown_future = asyncio.run_coroutine_threadsafe(
+        _shutdown_tasks(), self._loop
+    )
+
+    if wait:
+      shutdown_future.result()
+      # Place the stop command gracefully at the end of the event queue.
+      self._loop.call_soon_threadsafe(self._loop.stop)
+      # Wait for the thread to exit.
+      self._thread.join()
+    else:
+      # Only signal the event loop to stop, but do not wait for it to exit.
+      self._loop.call_soon_threadsafe(self._loop.stop)
+    logging.info('AsyncRunner: Stopped.')
diff --git a/checkpoint/orbax/checkpoint/_src/asyncio_utils_test.py b/checkpoint/orbax/checkpoint/_src/asyncio_utils_test.py
index 2a6a677c2..5303dd6ed 100644
--- a/checkpoint/orbax/checkpoint/_src/asyncio_utils_test.py
+++ b/checkpoint/orbax/checkpoint/_src/asyncio_utils_test.py
@@ -368,6 +368,24 @@ async def long_running_coro() -> None:
     self.assertTrue(future.done())
     self.assertIsNone(future.result(timeout=self._TIMEOUT))
 
+  def test_shutdown_non_blocking(self):
+    """Test that shutdown(wait=False) does not wait for tasks and thread."""
+    task_can_complete = threading.Event()
+
+    async def long_running_coro() -> None:
+      await asyncio.to_thread(task_can_complete.wait)
+
+    future = self.runner.run_coroutine(long_running_coro())
+    self.assertFalse(future.done())
+
+    # Verify by that the shutdown call returns immediately.
+    executor = self.enter_context(futures.ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=1))
+    shutdown_future = executor.submit(self.runner.shutdown, wait=False)
+    shutdown_future.result(timeout=self._TIMEOUT)
+    # Allow the coroutine to complete, so that the other thread where
+    # `task_can_complete.wait` is run (not the event loop thread) can exit.
+    task_can_complete.set()
+
   def test_submit_after_shutdown(self):
     """Test that submitting a coroutine after shutdown raises RuntimeError."""
     self.runner.shutdown()