diff --git a/.ci/jenkins/lib/test-matrix.yaml b/.ci/jenkins/lib/test-matrix.yaml
index 34836cb2f..9077e3145 100644
--- a/.ci/jenkins/lib/test-matrix.yaml
+++ b/.ci/jenkins/lib/test-matrix.yaml
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ matrix:
       - x86_64
     ucx_version:
       - master
-      - v1.19.0
+      - v1.20.x
 
 taskName: "${name}/${arch}/ucx-${ucx_version}/${axis_index}"
 
diff --git a/.ci/jenkins/pipeline/proj-jjb.yaml b/.ci/jenkins/pipeline/proj-jjb.yaml
index 69aa2f00d..6e1016102 100644
--- a/.ci/jenkins/pipeline/proj-jjb.yaml
+++ b/.ci/jenkins/pipeline/proj-jjb.yaml
@@ -272,8 +272,8 @@
           description: "NIXL version to use (tag like 0.7.1, branch name, or commit hash)"
       - string:
           name: "UCX_VERSION"
-          default: "v1.19.0"
-          description: "UCX version to use (tag like v1.19.0, branch name, or commit hash)"
+          default: "v1.20.x"
+          description: "UCX version to use (tag like v1.20.x, branch name, or commit hash)"
       - string:
           name: "BASE_IMAGE"
           default: "nvcr.io/nvidia/cuda-dl-base"
diff --git a/.gitlab/build.sh b/.gitlab/build.sh
index 60012c7fe..2e0cc8c58 100755
--- a/.gitlab/build.sh
+++ b/.gitlab/build.sh
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ INSTALL_DIR=$1
 UCX_INSTALL_DIR=$2
 EXTRA_BUILD_ARGS=${3:-""}
 # UCX_VERSION is the version of UCX to build override default with env variable.
-UCX_VERSION=${UCX_VERSION:-v1.19.0}
+UCX_VERSION=${UCX_VERSION:-v1.20.x}
 # LIBFABRIC_VERSION is the version of libfabric to build override default with env variable.
 LIBFABRIC_VERSION=${LIBFABRIC_VERSION:-v1.21.0}
 # LIBFABRIC_INSTALL_DIR can be set via environment variable, defaults to INSTALL_DIR
diff --git a/ATTRIBUTIONS-CPP.md b/ATTRIBUTIONS-CPP.md
index bfa4c9427..923c97f8c 100644
--- a/ATTRIBUTIONS-CPP.md
+++ b/ATTRIBUTIONS-CPP.md
@@ -914,7 +914,7 @@ This file contains the copying permission notices for various files in the
   72 requirements of the license of GCC.
   73
   ```
-## ucx - 1.19.0
+## ucx - 1.20.x
 
 - **Repository URL**: https://github.com/openucx/ucx/
 - **License URL**: https://github.com/openucx/ucx/blob/master/LICENSE
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 97c66dc09..19ad3dfda 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -46,14 +46,15 @@ If both `nixl-cu12` and `nixl-cu13` are installed at the same time in an environ
 
 ### UCX
 
-NIXL was tested with UCX version 1.19.0.
+NIXL was tested with UCX version 1.20.x.
 
 [GDRCopy](https://github.com/NVIDIA/gdrcopy) is available on Github and is necessary for maximum performance, but UCX and NIXL will work without it.
 
 ```
-$ wget https://github.com/openucx/ucx/releases/download/v1.19.0/ucx-1.19.0.tar.gz
-$ tar xzf ucx-1.19.0.tar.gz
-$ cd ucx-1.19.0
+$ git clone https://github.com/openucx/ucx.git
+$ cd ucx
+$ git checkout v1.20.x
+$ ./autogen.sh
 $ ./configure                          \
     --enable-shared                    \
     --disable-static                   \
diff --git a/contrib/Dockerfile b/contrib/Dockerfile
index 07619cce9..60344089f 100644
--- a/contrib/Dockerfile
+++ b/contrib/Dockerfile
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ FROM ${BASE_IMAGE}:${BASE_IMAGE_TAG}
 ARG OS=${OS:-ubuntu24}
 ARG ARCH="x86_64"
 ARG DEFAULT_PYTHON_VERSION="3.12"
-ARG UCX_REF="v1.19.0"
+ARG UCX_REF="v1.20.x"
 ARG UCX_PREFIX="/usr"
 ARG UCX_PLUGIN_DIR="$UCX_PREFIX/lib/ucx"
 ARG NIXL_PREFIX="/usr/local/nixl"
diff --git a/contrib/Dockerfile.manylinux b/contrib/Dockerfile.manylinux
index eb66ee886..055627d21 100644
--- a/contrib/Dockerfile.manylinux
+++ b/contrib/Dockerfile.manylinux
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ FROM ${BASE_IMAGE}:${BASE_IMAGE_TAG}
 
 ARG DEFAULT_PYTHON_VERSION="3.12"
 ARG ARCH="x86_64"
-ARG UCX_REF="v1.19.0"
+ARG UCX_REF="v1.20.x"
 ARG LIBFABRIC_VERSION="v1.21.0"
 
 RUN yum groupinstall -y 'Development Tools' &&  \
diff --git a/contrib/build-container.sh b/contrib/build-container.sh
index 694ecfd6e..afc118865 100755
--- a/contrib/build-container.sh
+++ b/contrib/build-container.sh
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ ARCH=$(uname -m)
 WHL_BASE=manylinux_2_39
 WHL_PLATFORM=${WHL_BASE}_${ARCH}
 WHL_PYTHON_VERSIONS="3.12"
-UCX_REF=${UCX_REF:-v1.19.0}
+UCX_REF=${UCX_REF:-v1.20.x}
 OS="ubuntu24"
 NPROC=${NPROC:-$(nproc)}