diff --git a/workers/asr-worker/asr_worker/activities.py b/workers/asr-worker/asr_worker/activities.py
index 54537610..e7bf9a03 100644
--- a/workers/asr-worker/asr_worker/activities.py
+++ b/workers/asr-worker/asr_worker/activities.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 from functools import partial
 from itertools import tee
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Annotated, Any, Protocol
+from typing import Annotated, Any, Protocol, cast
 
 from aiofile import async_open
 from caul_core import (
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ async def infer(
         # Import caul.tasks to populate the InferenceRunner registry
         import caul.tasks  # noqa: F401, PLC0415
 
-        worker_config = lifespan_worker_config()
+        worker_config = cast(ASRWorkerConfig, lifespan_worker_config())
         workdir = worker_config.paths.workdir
         output_dir = activity_workdir(workdir, project)
         output_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
@@ -182,7 +182,13 @@ async def infer(
                 progress, max_progress=len(preprocessed_inputs)
             )
         logger.info("loading model %s", config.model)
-        runner_factory = enter_cm(partial(InferenceRunner.from_config, config))
+        runner_factory = enter_cm(
+            partial(
+                InferenceRunner.from_config,
+                config,
+                device=worker_config.devices.inference,
+            )
+        )
         runner_key = config_cache_key(config)
         cache = lifespan_inference_runner_cache()
         inference_runner = cache.get_or_cache_resource(runner_key, runner_factory)
diff --git a/workers/asr-worker/asr_worker/config.py b/workers/asr-worker/asr_worker/config.py
index 3ae2df29..a13208d5 100644
--- a/workers/asr-worker/asr_worker/config.py
+++ b/workers/asr-worker/asr_worker/config.py
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import datashare_python
+from caul_core import TorchDevice
 from datashare_python.config import (
     LogFormat,
     LoggingConfig,
@@ -30,6 +31,10 @@ class IndexingWorkerConfig(BaseModel):
     target_bulk_char_size: int = 50_000
 
 
+class ASRWorkerDevices(BaseModel):
+    inference: TorchDevice = TorchDevice.CPU
+
+
 class ASRWorkerConfig(WorkerConfig):
     logging: LoggingConfig = _DEFAULT_LOGGING_CONFIG
 
@@ -43,5 +48,7 @@ class ASRWorkerConfig(WorkerConfig):
 
     cache: ASRCache = Field(default_factory=ASRCache)
 
+    devices: ASRWorkerDevices = Field(default_factory=ASRWorkerDevices)
+
 
 WORKER_CONFIG_CLS = ASRWorkerConfig
diff --git a/workers/asr-worker/pyproject.toml b/workers/asr-worker/pyproject.toml
index 70e5a0f1..31c053eb 100644
--- a/workers/asr-worker/pyproject.toml
+++ b/workers/asr-worker/pyproject.toml
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ readme = "README.md"
 requires-python = ">=3.11.0, <3.13"
 dependencies = [
   "datashare-python~=0.10.0",
-  "caul-core==0.4.0",
+  "caul-core==0.4.2",
 ]
 
 [project.scripts]
diff --git a/workers/asr-worker/uv.dist.lock b/workers/asr-worker/uv.dist.lock
index 4453772f..a445b3ff 100644
--- a/workers/asr-worker/uv.dist.lock
+++ b/workers/asr-worker/uv.dist.lock
@@ -325,15 +325,15 @@ nemo = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "caul-core"
-version = "0.4.0"
+version = "0.4.2"
 source = { registry = "https://pypi.org/simple" }
 dependencies = [
     { name = "icij-common", marker = "(platform_machine == 'x86_64' and sys_platform == 'linux') or (platform_machine != 'x86_64' and extra == 'extra-20-datashare-asr-worker-cpu' and extra == 'extra-20-datashare-asr-worker-gpu') or sys_platform == 'darwin' or (sys_platform != 'linux' and extra == 'extra-20-datashare-asr-worker-cpu' and extra == 'extra-20-datashare-asr-worker-gpu')" },
     { name = "pydantic-extra-types", extra = ["pycountry"], marker = "(platform_machine == 'x86_64' and sys_platform == 'linux') or (platform_machine != 'x86_64' and extra == 'extra-20-datashare-asr-worker-cpu' and extra == 'extra-20-datashare-asr-worker-gpu') or sys_platform == 'darwin' or (sys_platform != 'linux' and extra == 'extra-20-datashare-asr-worker-cpu' and extra == 'extra-20-datashare-asr-worker-gpu')" },
 ]
-sdist = { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/2d/de/0d6b5f7a4a90dc030399e4c8bf30a7e3cb5ab9374c9ceeea047056bf6fbc/caul_core-0.4.0.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:f9553cad04cf8faa765ac396729adb227da26616fa5c4e9311ecc18414c41d07", size = 21885, upload-time = "2026-08-24T09:13:05.008Z" }
+sdist = { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/d0/19/bca61d31990bc4353cecf41cb8c3df5c07358d5534a0e3eac9d1a4364832/caul_core-0.4.2.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:5aad8302b33af014c8ca649c24a5e4a4150ed2ce588b9f7ccf11529bd482d266", size = 21933, upload-time = "2026-08-27T16:08:54.32Z" }
 wheels = [
-    { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/d0/70/939889f8025d3ad2bc3d05ee19e887adbb4b141b1c7efd2e0f66c66ba256/caul_core-0.4.0-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:dcbde135c37bb6a99ff0901fe64bc3421b5b59b6a99628ce7ba4f783ed39515f", size = 12679, upload-time = "2026-08-24T09:13:04.12Z" },
+    { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/28/07/3f18e6f127f452a2d1e8d86c3964f300b9d9522bc8da2db99288d7fa15fc/caul_core-0.4.2-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:2b44c39b39af9b2a420e02753d6763f4218b66ce4af54c217ea2d69d13670c0f", size = 12807, upload-time = "2026-08-27T16:08:53.391Z" },
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -575,7 +575,7 @@ dev = [
 requires-dist = [
     { name = "caul", marker = "extra == 'preprocessing'", specifier = "==0.10.3" },
     { name = "caul", extras = ["nemo"], marker = "extra == 'inference'", specifier = "==0.10.3" },
-    { name = "caul-core", specifier = "==0.4.0" },
+    { name = "caul-core", specifier = "==0.4.2" },
     { name = "cuda-bindings", marker = "sys_platform == 'linux' and extra == 'gpu'", specifier = "==12.9.4" },
     { name = "datashare-python", specifier = "~=0.10.0" },
     { name = "kaldialign", marker = "extra == 'inference'", specifier = "==0.9.3" },
diff --git a/workers/asr-worker/uv.lock b/workers/asr-worker/uv.lock
index fc490ca6..001ba702 100644
--- a/workers/asr-worker/uv.lock
+++ b/workers/asr-worker/uv.lock
@@ -325,15 +325,15 @@ nemo = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "caul-core"
-version = "0.4.0"
+version = "0.4.2"
 source = { registry = "https://pypi.org/simple" }
 dependencies = [
     { name = "icij-common", marker = "(platform_machine == 'x86_64' and sys_platform == 'linux') or (platform_machine != 'x86_64' and extra == 'extra-20-datashare-asr-worker-cpu' and extra == 'extra-20-datashare-asr-worker-gpu') or sys_platform == 'darwin' or (sys_platform != 'linux' and extra == 'extra-20-datashare-asr-worker-cpu' and extra == 'extra-20-datashare-asr-worker-gpu')" },
     { name = "pydantic-extra-types", extra = ["pycountry"], marker = "(platform_machine == 'x86_64' and sys_platform == 'linux') or (platform_machine != 'x86_64' and extra == 'extra-20-datashare-asr-worker-cpu' and extra == 'extra-20-datashare-asr-worker-gpu') or sys_platform == 'darwin' or (sys_platform != 'linux' and extra == 'extra-20-datashare-asr-worker-cpu' and extra == 'extra-20-datashare-asr-worker-gpu')" },
 ]
-sdist = { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/2d/de/0d6b5f7a4a90dc030399e4c8bf30a7e3cb5ab9374c9ceeea047056bf6fbc/caul_core-0.4.0.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:f9553cad04cf8faa765ac396729adb227da26616fa5c4e9311ecc18414c41d07", size = 21885, upload-time = "2026-08-24T09:13:05.008Z" }
+sdist = { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/d0/19/bca61d31990bc4353cecf41cb8c3df5c07358d5534a0e3eac9d1a4364832/caul_core-0.4.2.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:5aad8302b33af014c8ca649c24a5e4a4150ed2ce588b9f7ccf11529bd482d266", size = 21933, upload-time = "2026-08-27T16:08:54.32Z" }
 wheels = [
-    { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/d0/70/939889f8025d3ad2bc3d05ee19e887adbb4b141b1c7efd2e0f66c66ba256/caul_core-0.4.0-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:dcbde135c37bb6a99ff0901fe64bc3421b5b59b6a99628ce7ba4f783ed39515f", size = 12679, upload-time = "2026-08-24T09:13:04.12Z" },
+  { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/28/07/3f18e6f127f452a2d1e8d86c3964f300b9d9522bc8da2db99288d7fa15fc/caul_core-0.4.2-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:2b44c39b39af9b2a420e02753d6763f4218b66ce4af54c217ea2d69d13670c0f", size = 12807, upload-time = "2026-08-27T16:08:53.391Z" },
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -575,7 +575,7 @@ dev = [
 requires-dist = [
     { name = "caul", marker = "extra == 'preprocessing'", specifier = "==0.10.3" },
     { name = "caul", extras = ["nemo"], marker = "extra == 'inference'", specifier = "==0.10.3" },
-    { name = "caul-core", specifier = "==0.4.0" },
+  { name = "caul-core", specifier = "==0.4.2" },
     { name = "cuda-bindings", marker = "sys_platform == 'linux' and extra == 'gpu'", specifier = "==12.9.4" },
     { name = "datashare-python", editable = "../../datashare-python" },
     { name = "kaldialign", marker = "extra == 'inference'", specifier = "==0.9.3" },