diff --git a/deepspeed/launcher/runner.py b/deepspeed/launcher/runner.py
index 5295b6859599..a4a49dca6bf3 100755
--- a/deepspeed/launcher/runner.py
+++ b/deepspeed/launcher/runner.py
@@ -306,9 +306,6 @@ def main(args=None):
 
     multi_node_exec = len(active_resources) > 1
 
-    if multi_node_exec and not shutil.which('pdsh'):
-        raise RuntimeError("pdsh is not installed, unable to proceed")
-
     if not multi_node_exec:
         deepspeed_launch = [
             sys.executable,