diff --git a/services/src/main/java/io/grpc/services/CallMetricRecorder.java b/services/src/main/java/io/grpc/services/CallMetricRecorder.java
index 995a17a89a..8570a989f2 100644
--- a/services/src/main/java/io/grpc/services/CallMetricRecorder.java
+++ b/services/src/main/java/io/grpc/services/CallMetricRecorder.java
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ public final class CallMetricRecorder {
    * @since 1.47.0
    */
   public CallMetricRecorder recordCpuUtilizationMetric(double value) {
-    if (disabled || !MetricRecorderHelper.isUtilizationValid(value)) {
+    if (disabled || !MetricRecorderHelper.isCpuUtilizationValid(value)) {
       return this;
     }
     cpuUtilizationMetric = value;
diff --git a/services/src/main/java/io/grpc/services/MetricRecorder.java b/services/src/main/java/io/grpc/services/MetricRecorder.java
index 5e6376d87f..3027d49546 100644
--- a/services/src/main/java/io/grpc/services/MetricRecorder.java
+++ b/services/src/main/java/io/grpc/services/MetricRecorder.java
@@ -64,11 +64,11 @@ public final class MetricRecorder {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Update the CPU utilization metrics data in the range [0, 1]. Values outside the valid range are
-   * ignored.
+   * Update the CPU utilization metrics data in the range [0, inf). Values outside the valid range
+   * are ignored.
    */
   public void setCpuUtilizationMetric(double value) {
-    if (!MetricRecorderHelper.isUtilizationValid(value)) {
+    if (!MetricRecorderHelper.isCpuUtilizationValid(value)) {
       return;
     }
     cpuUtilization = value;
diff --git a/services/src/main/java/io/grpc/services/MetricRecorderHelper.java b/services/src/main/java/io/grpc/services/MetricRecorderHelper.java
index 5cd917f5e0..94a811f4f1 100644
--- a/services/src/main/java/io/grpc/services/MetricRecorderHelper.java
+++ b/services/src/main/java/io/grpc/services/MetricRecorderHelper.java
@@ -29,6 +29,15 @@ final class MetricRecorderHelper {
     return utilization >= 0.0 && utilization <= 1.0;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Return true if the cpu utilization value is in the range [0, inf) and false otherwise.
+   * Occasionally users have over 100% cpu utilization and get a runaway effect where the backend
+   * with highest qps gets more and more qps sent to it. So we allow cpu utilization > 1.0.
+   */
+  static boolean isCpuUtilizationValid(double utilization) {
+    return utilization >= 0.0;
+  }
+
   /**
    * Return true if the qps value is in the range [0, inf) and false otherwise.
    */
diff --git a/services/src/test/java/io/grpc/services/CallMetricRecorderTest.java b/services/src/test/java/io/grpc/services/CallMetricRecorderTest.java
index 89b07e7208..03f29a05ef 100644
--- a/services/src/test/java/io/grpc/services/CallMetricRecorderTest.java
+++ b/services/src/test/java/io/grpc/services/CallMetricRecorderTest.java
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ public class CallMetricRecorderTest {
     recorder.recordUtilizationMetric("util1", 1.001);
 
     MetricReport dump = recorder.finalizeAndDump2();
-    Truth.assertThat(dump.getCpuUtilization()).isEqualTo(0);
+    Truth.assertThat(dump.getCpuUtilization()).isEqualTo(1.001);
     Truth.assertThat(dump.getMemoryUtilization()).isEqualTo(0);
     Truth.assertThat(dump.getQps()).isEqualTo(0);
     Truth.assertThat(dump.getUtilizationMetrics()).isEmpty();
diff --git a/xds/src/test/java/io/grpc/xds/orca/OrcaServiceImplTest.java b/xds/src/test/java/io/grpc/xds/orca/OrcaServiceImplTest.java
index 4afa731bdc..01e9c906bf 100644
--- a/xds/src/test/java/io/grpc/xds/orca/OrcaServiceImplTest.java
+++ b/xds/src/test/java/io/grpc/xds/orca/OrcaServiceImplTest.java
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ public class OrcaServiceImplTest {
   public void testApis() throws Exception {
     ImmutableMap<String, Double> firstUtilization = ImmutableMap.of("util", 0.1);
     OrcaLoadReport goldenReport = OrcaLoadReport.newBuilder()
-        .setCpuUtilization(random.nextDouble())
+        .setCpuUtilization(random.nextDouble() * 10)
         .setMemUtilization(random.nextDouble())
         .putAllUtilization(firstUtilization)
         .putUtilization("queue", 1.0)
@@ -276,7 +276,6 @@ public class OrcaServiceImplTest {
     assertThat(reports.next()).isEqualTo(goldenReport);
 
     defaultTestService.setCpuUtilizationMetric(-0.001);
-    defaultTestService.setCpuUtilizationMetric(1.001);
     defaultTestService.setMemoryUtilizationMetric(-0.001);
     defaultTestService.setMemoryUtilizationMetric(1.001);
     defaultTestService.setQpsMetric(-0.001);