diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Build/2026-04-14-15-20-29.gh-issue-148535.JjKiaa.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Build/2026-04-14-15-20-29.gh-issue-148535.JjKiaa.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..39f37acb14e098
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Build/2026-04-14-15-20-29.gh-issue-148535.JjKiaa.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+No longer use the ``gcc -fprofile-update=atomic`` flag on i686. The flag has
+been added to fix a random GCC internal error on PGO build (:gh:`145801`)
+caused by corruption of profile data (.gcda files). The problem is that it
+makes the PGO build way slower (up to 47x slower) on i686. Since the GCC
+internal error was not seen on i686 so far, don't use
+``-fprofile-update=atomic`` on i686 anymore. Patch by Victor Stinner.
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 07c16a4e37874e..6ef8c193d4b209 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -9092,7 +9092,57 @@ case "$ac_cv_cc_name" in
     fi
     ;;
   gcc)
-    { printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking whether C compiler accepts -fprofile-update=atomic" >&5
+    # Check for 32-bit x86 ISA
+    { printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for i686" >&5
+printf %s "checking for i686... " >&6; }
+if test ${ac_cv_i686+y}
+then :
+  printf %s "(cached) " >&6
+else case e in #(
+  e)
+        cat confdefs.h - <<_ACEOF >conftest.$ac_ext
+/* end confdefs.h.  */
+
+
+                #ifdef __i386__
+                #  error "i386"
+                #endif
+
+int
+main (void)
+{
+
+  ;
+  return 0;
+}
+
+_ACEOF
+if ac_fn_c_try_compile "$LINENO"
+then :
+  ac_cv_i686=no
+else case e in #(
+  e) ac_cv_i686=yes ;;
+esac
+fi
+rm -f core conftest.err conftest.$ac_objext conftest.beam conftest.$ac_ext
+     ;;
+esac
+fi
+{ printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $ac_cv_i686" >&5
+printf "%s\n" "$ac_cv_i686" >&6; }
+
+    PGO_PROF_GEN_FLAG="-fprofile-generate"
+
+    # Use -fprofile-update=atomic to fix a random GCC internal error on PGO
+    # build (gh-145801) caused by corruption of profile data (.gcda files).
+    #
+    # gh-148535: On i686, using -fprofile-update=atomic makes the PGO build
+    # way slower (up to 47x slower). So far, the GCC internal error on PGO
+    # build was not seen on i686, so don't use this flag on i686.
+    if test "x$ac_cv_i686" = xno
+then :
+
+        { printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking whether C compiler accepts -fprofile-update=atomic" >&5
 printf %s "checking whether C compiler accepts -fprofile-update=atomic... " >&6; }
 if test ${ax_cv_check_cflags___fprofile_update_atomic+y}
 then :
@@ -9127,10 +9177,13 @@ fi
 printf "%s\n" "$ax_cv_check_cflags___fprofile_update_atomic" >&6; }
 if test "x$ax_cv_check_cflags___fprofile_update_atomic" = xyes
 then :
-  PGO_PROF_GEN_FLAG="-fprofile-generate -fprofile-update=atomic"
+  PGO_PROF_GEN_FLAG="$PGO_PROF_GEN_FLAG -fprofile-update=atomic"
 else case e in #(
-  e) PGO_PROF_GEN_FLAG="-fprofile-generate" ;;
+  e) : ;;
 esac
+fi
+
+
 fi
 
     PGO_PROF_USE_FLAG="-fprofile-use -fprofile-correction"
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index d6e152d42b765e..ee922113e89d12 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -2090,10 +2090,32 @@ case "$ac_cv_cc_name" in
     fi
     ;;
   gcc)
-    AX_CHECK_COMPILE_FLAG(
-        [-fprofile-update=atomic],
-        [PGO_PROF_GEN_FLAG="-fprofile-generate -fprofile-update=atomic"],
-        [PGO_PROF_GEN_FLAG="-fprofile-generate"])
+    # Check for 32-bit x86 ISA
+    AC_CACHE_CHECK([for i686], [ac_cv_i686], [
+        AC_COMPILE_IFELSE([
+            AC_LANG_PROGRAM([
+                #ifdef __i386__
+                #  error "i386"
+                #endif
+            ], [])
+        ],[ac_cv_i686=no],[ac_cv_i686=yes])
+    ])
+
+    PGO_PROF_GEN_FLAG="-fprofile-generate"
+
+    # Use -fprofile-update=atomic to fix a random GCC internal error on PGO
+    # build (gh-145801) caused by corruption of profile data (.gcda files).
+    #
+    # gh-148535: On i686, using -fprofile-update=atomic makes the PGO build
+    # way slower (up to 47x slower). So far, the GCC internal error on PGO
+    # build was not seen on i686, so don't use this flag on i686.
+    AS_VAR_IF([ac_cv_i686], [no], [
+        AX_CHECK_COMPILE_FLAG(
+            [-fprofile-update=atomic],
+            [PGO_PROF_GEN_FLAG="$PGO_PROF_GEN_FLAG -fprofile-update=atomic"],
+            [])
+    ])
+
     PGO_PROF_USE_FLAG="-fprofile-use -fprofile-correction"
     LLVM_PROF_MERGER="true"
     LLVM_PROF_FILE=""