diff --git a/api/v1alpha1/variantautoscaling_types.go b/api/v1alpha1/variantautoscaling_types.go
index cb699e1e4..0c2031bf9 100644
--- a/api/v1alpha1/variantautoscaling_types.go
+++ b/api/v1alpha1/variantautoscaling_types.go
@@ -72,8 +72,9 @@ type OptimizedAlloc struct {
 	LastRunTime metav1.Time `json:"lastRunTime,omitempty"`
 
 	// Accelerator is the type of accelerator for the optimized allocation.
-	// +kubebuilder:validation:MinLength=2
-	Accelerator string `json:"accelerator"`
+	// Deprecated: This field is deprecated and will be removed in a future version. Use node selector or node affinity from scale target instead.
+	// +optional
+	Accelerator string `json:"accelerator,omitempty"`
 
 	// NumReplicas is the number of replicas for the optimized allocation.
 	// nil means no optimization decision has been made yet.
diff --git a/charts/workload-variant-autoscaler/crds/llmd.ai_variantautoscalings.yaml b/charts/workload-variant-autoscaler/crds/llmd.ai_variantautoscalings.yaml
index b3b4ad5b4..5f92a5de8 100644
--- a/charts/workload-variant-autoscaler/crds/llmd.ai_variantautoscalings.yaml
+++ b/charts/workload-variant-autoscaler/crds/llmd.ai_variantautoscalings.yaml
@@ -201,9 +201,9 @@ spec:
                   allocation based on autoscaling logic.
                 properties:
                   accelerator:
-                    description: Accelerator is the type of accelerator for the optimized
-                      allocation.
-                    minLength: 2
+                    description: |-
+                      Accelerator is the type of accelerator for the optimized allocation.
+                      Deprecated: This field is deprecated and will be removed in a future version. Use node selector or node affinity from scale target instead.
                     type: string
                   lastRunTime:
                     description: LastRunTime is the timestamp of the last optimization
@@ -217,8 +217,6 @@ spec:
                     format: int32
                     minimum: 0
                     type: integer
-                required:
-                - accelerator
                 type: object
             type: object
         type: object
diff --git a/config/crd/bases/llmd.ai_variantautoscalings.yaml b/config/crd/bases/llmd.ai_variantautoscalings.yaml
index b3b4ad5b4..5f92a5de8 100644
--- a/config/crd/bases/llmd.ai_variantautoscalings.yaml
+++ b/config/crd/bases/llmd.ai_variantautoscalings.yaml
@@ -201,9 +201,9 @@ spec:
                   allocation based on autoscaling logic.
                 properties:
                   accelerator:
-                    description: Accelerator is the type of accelerator for the optimized
-                      allocation.
-                    minLength: 2
+                    description: |-
+                      Accelerator is the type of accelerator for the optimized allocation.
+                      Deprecated: This field is deprecated and will be removed in a future version. Use node selector or node affinity from scale target instead.
                     type: string
                   lastRunTime:
                     description: LastRunTime is the timestamp of the last optimization
@@ -217,8 +217,6 @@ spec:
                     format: int32
                     minimum: 0
                     type: integer
-                required:
-                - accelerator
                 type: object
             type: object
         type: object
diff --git a/docs/user-guide/crd-reference.md b/docs/user-guide/crd-reference.md
index d0d24fcf4..b32a59ded 100644
--- a/docs/user-guide/crd-reference.md
+++ b/docs/user-guide/crd-reference.md
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ _Appears in:_
 | Field | Description | Default | Validation |
 | --- | --- | --- | --- |
 | `lastRunTime` _[Time](https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/generated/kubernetes-api/v1.32/#time-v1-meta)_ | LastRunTime is the timestamp of the last optimization run. |  |  |
-| `accelerator` _string_ | Accelerator is the type of accelerator for the optimized allocation. |  | MinLength: 2 <br /> |
+| `accelerator` _string_ | Accelerator is the type of accelerator for the optimized allocation. This field is deprecated and will be removed in a future version. Use node selector or node affinity from scale target instead. |  | |
 | `numReplicas` _integer_ | NumReplicas is the number of replicas for the optimized allocation.<br />nil means no optimization decision has been made yet. |  | Minimum: 0 <br /> |