diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 3bfd5ee02d..2b7b20afb2 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -387,7 +387,7 @@ clean-ui:
 	rm -rf $(UI_BUILD_FLAG_FILE)
 
 awx/ui_next/node_modules:
-	$(NPM_BIN) --prefix awx/ui_next --loglevel warn ci
+	NODE_OPTIONS=--max-old-space-size=4096 $(NPM_BIN) --prefix awx/ui_next --loglevel warn ci
 
 $(UI_BUILD_FLAG_FILE):
 	$(NPM_BIN) --prefix awx/ui_next --loglevel warn run compile-strings
diff --git a/awx/ui_next/README.md b/awx/ui_next/README.md
index e5cc74cdea..baec281126 100644
--- a/awx/ui_next/README.md
+++ b/awx/ui_next/README.md
@@ -92,6 +92,9 @@ docker exec -it tools_awx_1 bash
 # add the updated package.json and package-lock.json files to scm
 git add awx/ui_next_next/package.json awx/ui_next_next/package-lock.json
 ```
+#### Note:
+- Building the ui can use up a lot of resources. If you're running docker for mac or similar
+virtualization, the default memory limit may not be enough and you should increase it.
 
 ## Building for Production
 ```shell