diff --git a/backends/tfhe-cuda-backend/cuda/CMakeLists.txt b/backends/tfhe-cuda-backend/cuda/CMakeLists.txt
index ad452451ed..e36aeaee6d 100644
--- a/backends/tfhe-cuda-backend/cuda/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/backends/tfhe-cuda-backend/cuda/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -67,9 +67,21 @@ endif()
 
 add_compile_definitions(CUDA_ARCH=${CUDA_ARCH})
 
+# Check if the DEBUG flag is defined
+if(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE STREQUAL "Debug")
+    # Debug mode
+    message("Compiling in Debug mode")
+    add_definitions(-DDEBUG)
+    set(OPTIMIZATION_FLAGS "${OPTIMIZATION_FLAGS} -O0 -G -g")
+else()
+    # Release mode
+    message("Compiling in Release mode")
+    set(OPTIMIZATION_FLAGS "${OPTIMIZATION_FLAGS} -O3")
+endif()
+
 # in production, should use -arch=sm_70 --ptxas-options=-v to see register spills -lineinfo for better debugging
 set(CMAKE_CUDA_FLAGS
-    "${CMAKE_CUDA_FLAGS} -ccbin ${CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER} -O3 \
+    "${CMAKE_CUDA_FLAGS} -ccbin ${CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER} ${OPTIMIZATION_FLAGS}\
   -std=c++17 --no-exceptions  --expt-relaxed-constexpr -rdc=true \
   --use_fast_math -Xcompiler -fPIC")
 
diff --git a/backends/tfhe-cuda-backend/cuda/include/device.h b/backends/tfhe-cuda-backend/cuda/include/device.h
index 203db79b82..af026a9255 100644
--- a/backends/tfhe-cuda-backend/cuda/include/device.h
+++ b/backends/tfhe-cuda-backend/cuda/include/device.h
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ extern "C" {
 
 #define check_cuda_error(ans)                                                  \
   { cuda_error((ans), __FILE__, __LINE__); }
+
+#ifdef DEBUG
 inline void cuda_error(cudaError_t code, const char *file, int line) {
   if (code != cudaSuccess) {
     std::fprintf(stderr, "Cuda error: %s %s %d\n", cudaGetErrorString(code),
@@ -20,6 +22,9 @@ inline void cuda_error(cudaError_t code, const char *file, int line) {
     std::abort();
   }
 }
+#else
+inline void cuda_error(cudaError_t code, const char *file, int line) {}
+#endif
 #define PANIC(format, ...)                                                     \
   {                                                                            \
     std::fprintf(stderr, "%s::%d::%s: panic.\n" format "\n", __FILE__,         \