diff --git a/returnn/training.py b/returnn/training.py
index edf780c3..1ae3f0b7 100644
--- a/returnn/training.py
+++ b/returnn/training.py
@@ -118,6 +118,8 @@ class ReturnnTrainingJob(Job):
         function of Returnn not all checkpoints are actually available.
     """
 
+    __sis_hash_exclude__ = {"distributed_launch_cmd": "mpirun"}
+
     def __init__(
         self,
         returnn_config: ReturnnConfig,
@@ -130,6 +132,7 @@ def __init__(
         time_rqmt: float = 4,
         mem_rqmt: float = 4,
         cpu_rqmt: int = 2,
+        distributed_launch_cmd: str = "mpirun",
         horovod_num_processes: Optional[int] = None,
         multi_node_slots: Optional[int] = None,
         returnn_python_exe: Optional[tk.Path] = None,
@@ -149,6 +152,9 @@ def __init__(
         :param time_rqmt:
         :param mem_rqmt:
         :param cpu_rqmt:
+        :param distributed_launch_cmd: the command used to launch training jobs, only used if horovod_num_processes is not None
+            Possible values: "mpirun": use mpirun, c.f. https://www.open-mpi.org/doc/v4.0/man1/mpirun.1.php
+                             "torchrun": use torchrun, c.f. https://pytorch.org/docs/stable/elastic/run.html
         :param horovod_num_processes: If used without multi_node_slots, then single node, otherwise multi node.
         :param multi_node_slots: multi-node multi-GPU training. See Sisyphus rqmt documentation.
             Currently only with Horovod,
@@ -158,12 +164,14 @@ def __init__(
         :param returnn_root: file path to the RETURNN repository root folder
         """
         assert isinstance(returnn_config, ReturnnConfig)
+        assert distributed_launch_cmd in ["mpirun", "torchrun"]
         self.check_blacklisted_parameters(returnn_config)
         kwargs = locals()
         del kwargs["self"]
 
         self.returnn_python_exe = util.get_returnn_python_exe(returnn_python_exe)
         self.returnn_root = util.get_returnn_root(returnn_root)
+        self.distributed_launch_cmd = distributed_launch_cmd
         self.horovod_num_processes = horovod_num_processes
         self.multi_node_slots = multi_node_slots
         self.returnn_config = ReturnnTrainingJob.create_returnn_config(**kwargs)
@@ -240,25 +248,35 @@ def _get_run_cmd(self):
         ]
 
         if self.horovod_num_processes:
-            # Normally, if the engine (e.g. SGE or Slurm) is configured correctly,
-            # it automatically provides the information on multiple nodes to mpirun,
-            # so it is not needed to explicitly pass on any hostnames here.
-            run_cmd = [
-                "mpirun",
-                "-np",
-                str(self.horovod_num_processes),
-                "-bind-to",
-                "none",
-                "-map-by",
-                "slot",
-                "-mca",
-                "pml",
-                "ob1",
-                "-mca",
-                "btl",
-                "^openib",
-                "--report-bindings",
-            ] + run_cmd
+            if self.distributed_launch_cmd == "torchrun":
+                # use torchrun to lauch DDP training when the backend is torch
+                run_cmd = [
+                    "torchrun",
+                    f"--nnodes={self.multi_node_slots or 1}",
+                    f"--nproc-per-node={self.horovod_num_processes}",
+                ] + run_cmd[1:]
+            elif self.distributed_launch_cmd == "mpirun":
+                # Normally, if the engine (e.g. SGE or Slurm) is configured correctly,
+                # it automatically provides the information on multiple nodes to mpirun,
+                # so it is not needed to explicitly pass on any hostnames here.
+                run_cmd = [
+                    "mpirun",
+                    "-np",
+                    str(self.horovod_num_processes),
+                    "-bind-to",
+                    "none",
+                    "-map-by",
+                    "slot",
+                    "-mca",
+                    "pml",
+                    "ob1",
+                    "-mca",
+                    "btl",
+                    "^openib",
+                    "--report-bindings",
+                ] + run_cmd
+            else:
+                raise ValueError(f"invalid distributed_launch_cmd {self.distributed_launch_cmd!r}")
 
         return run_cmd