diff --git a/components/src/dynamo/vllm/handlers.py b/components/src/dynamo/vllm/handlers.py
index e548d9cadf34..6ef293976881 100644
--- a/components/src/dynamo/vllm/handlers.py
+++ b/components/src/dynamo/vllm/handlers.py
@@ -3010,28 +3010,22 @@ async def _encode_one(idx: int, prompt: Any):
             return
 
         # Default wire format: always base64 (the Rust frontend decodes back to
-        # float when the client's ``encoding_format`` is float or unset).
-        # 15x1024-float JSON arrays cost ~110 ms in Python json.dumps + Rust
-        # serde parse; base64 bytes are ~3x smaller and ~10x faster to
-        # (de)serialize. Client-visible wire format is preserved because Rust
-        # converts at the HTTP boundary.
-        embedding_objects: list[Dict[str, Any]] = []
-        for idx, final_output in enumerate(outputs):
-            embedding = _pooling_output_to_list(final_output.outputs.data)
-            if dimensions is not None:
-                if dimensions > len(embedding):
-                    raise ValueError(
-                        f"dimensions={dimensions} exceeds model embedding "
-                        f"dimension {len(embedding)}"
-                    )
-                embedding = embedding[:dimensions]
-            embedding_objects.append(
-                {
-                    "object": "embedding",
-                    "embedding": _encode_floats_to_base64(embedding),
-                    "index": idx,
-                }
-            )
+        # float when the client's ``encoding_format`` is float or unset). base64
+        # bytes are ~3x smaller and far faster to (de)serialize than a JSON float
+        # array; the client-visible wire format is preserved because Rust converts
+        # at the HTTP boundary. The base64 is built straight from the pooling
+        # tensor (torch -> numpy.tobytes), skipping the per-embedding Python float
+        # list + struct.pack varargs. Bytes are identical on little-endian hosts.
+        embedding_objects: list[Dict[str, Any]] = [
+            {
+                "object": "embedding",
+                "embedding": _pooling_output_to_base64(
+                    final_output.outputs.data, dimensions
+                ),
+                "index": idx,
+            }
+            for idx, final_output in enumerate(outputs)
+        ]
 
         yield {
             "object": "list",
@@ -3116,16 +3110,27 @@ def _classify_embedding_input(input_field: Any) -> list[Any]:
     )
 
 
+def _flatten_pooling_tensor(data: "torch.Tensor") -> "torch.Tensor":
+    """Flatten a vLLM ``PoolingOutput.data`` tensor to a 1-D float32 CPU tensor.
+
+    Shared by :func:`_pooling_output_to_list` and
+    :func:`_pooling_output_to_base64` so the detach/cpu/flatten/cast step isn't
+    duplicated. ``float32`` matches the OpenAI base64 f32 wire format.
+
+    vLLM's pooling pipeline can return a tensor with a singleton batch dim
+    (shape ``(1, hidden_dim)``) instead of a 1D vector; we flatten unconditionally.
+    """
+    return data.detach().cpu().flatten().to(torch.float32)
+
+
 def _pooling_output_to_list(data: Any) -> list[float]:
     """Convert a vLLM PoolingOutput.data tensor (or list) to a flat list[float].
 
-    vLLM's pooling pipeline can return a tensor with a singleton batch dim
-    (shape ``(1, hidden_dim)``) instead of a 1D vector (shape ``(hidden_dim,)``).
     The OpenAI ``/v1/embeddings`` response expects ``data[].embedding`` to be a
-    flat array of floats, so we flatten unconditionally.
+    flat array of floats.
     """
     if isinstance(data, torch.Tensor):
-        return data.detach().cpu().flatten().tolist()
+        return _flatten_pooling_tensor(data).tolist()
     if isinstance(data, (list, tuple)):
         # Already a list — flatten one level if it's a list-of-lists.
         if data and isinstance(data[0], (list, tuple)):
@@ -3150,6 +3155,36 @@ def _encode_floats_to_base64(floats: list[float]) -> str:
     return base64.b64encode(packed).decode("ascii")
 
 
+def _pooling_output_to_base64(data: Any, dimensions: int | None = None) -> str:
+    """Serialize a vLLM ``PoolingOutput.data`` tensor straight to a base64
+    float32 string, skipping the intermediate Python ``list[float]`` and the
+    ``struct.pack("<{N}f", *floats)`` varargs expansion.
+
+    ``torch -> numpy.tobytes -> base64`` keeps the heavy work in C; output bytes
+    are identical to the ``struct``-based path on little-endian hosts.
+    """
+    if isinstance(data, torch.Tensor):
+        vec = _flatten_pooling_tensor(data)
+        if dimensions is not None:
+            if dimensions > vec.numel():
+                raise ValueError(
+                    f"dimensions={dimensions} exceeds model embedding "
+                    f"dimension {vec.numel()}"
+                )
+            vec = vec[:dimensions]
+        return base64.b64encode(vec.contiguous().numpy().tobytes()).decode("ascii")
+    # Fallback for non-tensor pooling outputs (rare): reuse the list path.
+    floats = _pooling_output_to_list(data)
+    if dimensions is not None:
+        if dimensions > len(floats):
+            raise ValueError(
+                f"dimensions={dimensions} exceeds model embedding "
+                f"dimension {len(floats)}"
+            )
+        floats = floats[:dimensions]
+    return _encode_floats_to_base64(floats)
+
+
 def _write_embeddings_to_shm(outputs: list[Any], dimensions: int | None) -> dict[str, Any]:
     """Stage all embedding vectors as one contiguous ``[count, dim]``
     little-endian f32 buffer in a POSIX shared-memory segment; return the