diff --git a/ggml/src/ggml-vulkan/ggml-vulkan.cpp b/ggml/src/ggml-vulkan/ggml-vulkan.cpp
index cefe186fee..870fa11558 100644
--- a/ggml/src/ggml-vulkan/ggml-vulkan.cpp
+++ b/ggml/src/ggml-vulkan/ggml-vulkan.cpp
@@ -5480,8 +5480,12 @@ static void ggml_vk_load_shaders(vk_device& device, vk_pipeline requested) {
     uint32_t rm_iq = 2 * rm_kq;
 
     const bool use_subgroups = device->subgroup_arithmetic;
+    // The Imagination proprietary compiler rejects the subgroup-only dequant mul_mat_vec
+    // shaders that require a subgroup size >= 16; fall back to shared-memory reduction.
+    const bool is_imagination_proprietary =
+        device->driver_id == vk::DriverId::eImaginationProprietary;
     // Ensure a subgroup size >= 16 is available
-    const bool use_subgroups16 = use_subgroups && subgroup_min_size_16;
+    const bool use_subgroups16 = use_subgroups && subgroup_min_size_16 && !is_imagination_proprietary;
 
     const uint32_t subgroup_size = (device->vendor_id == VK_VENDOR_ID_INTEL && device->subgroup_size_control && device->subgroup_min_size <= 16 && device->subgroup_max_size >= 16) ? 16 : device->subgroup_size;
     const uint32_t subgroup_size16 = std::max(subgroup_size, 16u);