diff --git a/python/test/unit/language/test_compile_only.py b/python/test/unit/language/test_compile_only.py
index 1154fb3b8968..acdee7ab6da7 100644
--- a/python/test/unit/language/test_compile_only.py
+++ b/python/test/unit/language/test_compile_only.py
@@ -220,3 +220,57 @@ def fp8_convert(src, dst):
     src = ASTSource(fn=fp8_convert, signature={"src": "*fp32", "dst": "*fp8e5"}, constexprs={})
     triton.compile(src, target=GPUTarget("cuda", 90, 32))
     triton.compile(src, target=GPUTarget("cuda", 80, 32))
+
+
+def test_sm_arch_from_capability():
+    """Verify that sm_arch_from_capability generates correct arch strings.
+
+    Consumer Blackwell (sm_120, e.g. RTX 5070 Ti) must NOT get the "a" suffix.
+    Using sm_120a causes LLVM/ptxas to generate tensor memory instructions
+    that don't exist on consumer hardware, producing runtime segfaults.
+    """
+    from triton.backends.nvidia.compiler import sm_arch_from_capability
+    # Pre-Hopper: no suffix
+    assert sm_arch_from_capability(80) == "sm_80"
+    assert sm_arch_from_capability(89) == "sm_89"
+    # Hopper datacenter: "a" suffix
+    assert sm_arch_from_capability(90) == "sm_90a"
+    # Blackwell datacenter: "a" suffix
+    assert sm_arch_from_capability(100) == "sm_100a"
+    # Consumer Blackwell: NO "a" suffix (critical for RTX 5070 Ti/5080/5090)
+    assert sm_arch_from_capability(120) == "sm_120"
+
+
+def test_compile_only_sm120() -> None:
+    """Verify that sm_120 (consumer Blackwell) compiles with correct target.
+
+    Uses a tl.dot kernel (not just elementwise) to exercise the matmul
+    pipeline and confirm that tensor memory / tcgen05 instructions are
+    NOT generated for consumer Blackwell, which lacks tensor memory.
+    """
+
+    @triton.jit
+    def simple_dot(a_base, b_base, out):
+        SIZE: tl.constexpr = 64
+        a_ptr = a_base + tl.arange(0, SIZE)[:, None] * SIZE + tl.arange(0, SIZE)[None, :]
+        b_ptr = b_base + tl.arange(0, SIZE)[:, None] * SIZE + tl.arange(0, SIZE)[None, :]
+        a = tl.load(a_ptr)
+        b = tl.load(b_ptr)
+        c = tl.dot(a, b)
+        out_ptr = out + tl.arange(0, SIZE)[:, None] * SIZE + tl.arange(0, SIZE)[None, :]
+        tl.store(out_ptr, c)
+
+    k = triton.compile(
+        triton.compiler.ASTSource(fn=simple_dot, signature={"a_base": "*fp16", "b_base": "*fp16", "out": "*fp16"},
+                                  constexprs={}), target=GPUTarget("cuda", 120, 32))
+    ptx = k.asm["ptx"]
+    # Must target sm_120 (no "a" suffix)
+    assert ".target sm_120" in ptx
+    assert ".target sm_120a" not in ptx
+    # Matmul must NOT use tensor memory or tcgen05 (consumer Blackwell lacks tmem).
+    # This is the key assertion — sm_100 dot uses tcgen05/tmem, sm_120 must not.
+    assert "tcgen05" not in ptx
+    ttgir = k.asm["ttgir"]
+    assert "ttng.tmem_alloc" not in str(ttgir)
+    assert "ttng.tc_gen5_mma" not in str(ttgir)
+    assert k.asm["cubin"] != b""
diff --git a/third_party/nvidia/backend/compiler.py b/third_party/nvidia/backend/compiler.py
index b34f1904befd..a657bf88bbab 100644
--- a/third_party/nvidia/backend/compiler.py
+++ b/third_party/nvidia/backend/compiler.py
@@ -97,8 +97,15 @@ def file_hash(path):
 
 
 def sm_arch_from_capability(capability: int):
-    # TODO: Handle non-"a" sms
-    suffix = "a" if capability >= 90 else ""
+    # The "a" suffix enables arch-accelerated features only available on
+    # specific GPU implementations:
+    #   sm_90a  — Hopper datacenter (H100, H200)
+    #   sm_100a — Blackwell datacenter (B100, B200)
+    # Consumer Blackwell (sm_120, e.g. RTX 5070 Ti/5080/5090) does NOT
+    # have an "a" variant — using sm_120a causes invalid codegen (tensor
+    # memory instructions that don't exist on consumer hardware), leading
+    # to runtime segfaults.
+    suffix = "a" if capability >= 90 and capability != 120 else ""
     return f"sm_{capability}{suffix}"