diff --git a/packages/hxtorch/package.py b/packages/hxtorch/package.py
index f460b31b5ed963e5790409e13b025781c38a8870..06fa1bfcf6098635386e87253f99646c0f72ee26 100644
--- a/packages/hxtorch/package.py
+++ b/packages/hxtorch/package.py
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ class Hxtorch(WafPackage):
         args = ['--prefix={0}'.format(self.prefix)]
         args += self.configure_args()
 
-        self.waf('configure', *args)
+        self.waf('configure', '--build-profile=release', *args)
 
     def build_args(self):
         args = ['--keep', '--test-execnone', '-v']
diff --git a/packages/pynn-brainscales/package.py b/packages/pynn-brainscales/package.py
index fe994334d8b37dcce3e5e35e8494d58748081d10..2e6467e6c1ced6f04efc2c56daf218f125a29537 100644
--- a/packages/pynn-brainscales/package.py
+++ b/packages/pynn-brainscales/package.py
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ class PynnBrainscales(WafPackage):
         args = ['--prefix={0}'.format(self.prefix)]
         args += self.configure_args()
 
-        self.waf('configure', *args)
+        self.waf('configure', '--build-profile=release', *args)
 
     def build_args(self):
         args = ['--keep', '--test-execnone', '-v']