diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 03b02bbf..6bdc3c46 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -96,45 +96,6 @@ jobs:
               --toolchain=llvm17
             architecture: x86_64
 
-          # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-          # Amazon Linux 2 -- the next oldest glibc after CentOS 7's EOL
-          # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-          # Clang 17
-          - name: amzn2-x86_64-clang17
-            runs_on: ubuntu-20.04  # Ubuntu 20.04 is for the top-level VM only. We use Docker in it.
-            docker_image: yugabyteci/yb_build_infra_amazonlinux2_x86_64:v2024-09-13T18_52_53
-            build_thirdparty_args: >-
-              --toolchain=llvm17
-            architecture: x86_64
-
-          - name: amzn2-x86_64-clang17-full-lto
-            runs_on: ubuntu-20.04  # Ubuntu 20.04 is for the top-level VM only. We use Docker in it.
-            docker_image: yugabyteci/yb_build_infra_amazonlinux2_x86_64:v2024-09-13T18_52_53
-            build_thirdparty_args: >-
-              --toolchain=llvm17
-              --lto=full
-            architecture: x86_64
-
-          # Clang 18
-          # TODO: enable ASAN/TSAN for Clang 18.
-          - name: amzn2-x86_64-clang18
-            runs_on: ubuntu-20.04  # Ubuntu 20.04 is for the top-level VM only. We use Docker in it.
-            docker_image: yugabyteci/yb_build_infra_amazonlinux2_x86_64:v2024-09-13T18_52_53
-            build_thirdparty_args: >-
-              --toolchain=llvm18
-              --skip-sanitizers
-            architecture: x86_64
-
-          - name: amzn2-x86_64-clang18-full-lto
-            runs_on: ubuntu-20.04  # Ubuntu 20.04 is for the top-level VM only. We use Docker in it.
-            docker_image: yugabyteci/yb_build_infra_amazonlinux2_x86_64:v2024-09-13T18_52_53
-            build_thirdparty_args: >-
-              --toolchain=llvm18
-              --lto=full
-              --skip-sanitizers
-            architecture: x86_64
-
           # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
           # AlmaLinux 8
           # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -168,8 +129,17 @@ jobs:
               --toolchain=llvm17
             architecture: x86_64
 
+          - name: almalinux8-x86_64-clang17-full-lto
+            runs_on: ubuntu-20.04  # Ubuntu 20.04 is for the top-level VM only. We use Docker in it.
+            docker_image: yugabyteci/yb_build_infra_almalinux8_x86_64:v2024-09-20T20_33_55
+            build_thirdparty_args: >-
+              --toolchain=llvm17
+              --lto=full
+            architecture: x86_64
+
           # Clang/LLVM 18
           # TODO: enable ASAN/TSAN for Clang 18.
+          # Need to debug build failures without the --skip-sanitizers flag.
           - name: almalinux8-x86_64-clang18
             runs_on: ubuntu-20.04  # Ubuntu 20.04 is for the top-level VM only. We use Docker in it.
             docker_image: yugabyteci/yb_build_infra_almalinux8_x86_64:v2024-09-20T20_33_55
@@ -178,6 +148,15 @@ jobs:
               --skip-sanitizers
             architecture: x86_64
 
+          - name: almalinux8-x86_64-clang18-full-lto
+            runs_on: ubuntu-20.04  # Ubuntu 20.04 is for the top-level VM only. We use Docker in it.
+            docker_image: yugabyteci/yb_build_infra_almalinux8_x86_64:v2024-09-20T20_33_55
+            build_thirdparty_args: >-
+              --toolchain=llvm18
+              --lto=full
+              --skip-sanitizers
+            architecture: x86_64
+
           # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
           # AlmaLinux 9
           # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -222,34 +201,34 @@ jobs:
             architecture: arm64
 
           # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-          # aarch64 builds (Amazon Linux 2)
+          # aarch64 - almalinux8 builds
           # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-          - name: amzn2-aarch64-clang17
+          - name: almalinux8-aarch64-clang17
             runs_on: ubuntu-24.04-aarch64-4core-16gb
-            docker_image: yugabyteci/yb_build_infra_amazonlinux2_aarch64:v2024-09-13T18_54_13
+            docker_image: yugabyteci/yb_build_infra_almalinux8_aarch64:v2024-09-20T23_59_06
             build_thirdparty_args: >-
               --toolchain=llvm17
               --skip-sanitizers
 
-          - name: amzn2-aarch64-clang17-full-lto
+          - name: almalinux8-aarch64-clang17-full-lto
             runs_on: ubuntu-24.04-aarch64-4core-16gb
-            docker_image: yugabyteci/yb_build_infra_amazonlinux2_aarch64:v2024-09-13T18_54_13
+            docker_image: yugabyteci/yb_build_infra_almalinux8_aarch64:v2024-09-20T23_59_06
             build_thirdparty_args: >-
               --toolchain=llvm17
               --skip-sanitizers
               --lto=full
 
-          - name: amzn2-aarch64-clang18
+          - name: almalinux8-aarch64-clang18
             runs_on: ubuntu-24.04-aarch64-4core-16gb
-            docker_image: yugabyteci/yb_build_infra_amazonlinux2_aarch64:v2024-09-13T18_54_13
+            docker_image: yugabyteci/yb_build_infra_almalinux8_aarch64:v2024-09-20T23_59_06
             build_thirdparty_args: >-
               --toolchain=llvm18
               --skip-sanitizers
 
-          - name: amzn2-aarch64-clang18-full-lto
+          - name: almalinux8-aarch64-clang18-full-lto
             runs_on: ubuntu-24.04-aarch64-4core-16gb
-            docker_image: yugabyteci/yb_build_infra_amazonlinux2_aarch64:v2024-09-13T18_54_13
+            docker_image: yugabyteci/yb_build_infra_almalinux8_aarch64:v2024-09-20T23_59_06
             build_thirdparty_args: >-
               --toolchain=llvm18
               --skip-sanitizers
@@ -270,6 +249,17 @@ jobs:
           # in test code.
           fetch-depth: 0
 
+      # Python version really only matters in the non-docker cases (macos), but it should match
+      # the version used in the docker images, for a common requirements_frozen.txt.
+      # The linux images (from build-infra repo) should be updated to newer python and this version
+      # updated to match.
+      # This action puts python and python3.9 in path, but python3 is still latest version.
+      # See setting in .github/workflows/macos_build.sh
+      - name: PythonVer
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+        with:
+          python-version: '3.9'
+
       - name: Build
         run: .github/workflows/github_actions_build.sh
         env:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/macos_build.sh b/.github/workflows/macos_build.sh
index 20bdd719..a270c7cb 100755
--- a/.github/workflows/macos_build.sh
+++ b/.github/workflows/macos_build.sh
@@ -6,4 +6,6 @@ brew install autoconf automake pkg-config shellcheck hub
 dirs=( /opt/yb-build/{thirdparty,brew,tmp} )
 sudo mkdir -p "${dirs[@]}"
 sudo chmod 777 "${dirs[@]}"
+
+export PYTHON="python3.9"
 ./build_and_release.sh
diff --git a/build_and_release.sh b/build_and_release.sh
index 712e7e92..d3584f65 100755
--- a/build_and_release.sh
+++ b/build_and_release.sh
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ tools_to_show_versions=(
   autoreconf
   cmake
   pkg-config
-  python3
+  "${PYTHON:-python3}"
 )
 
 if [[ $OSTYPE == darwin* ]]; then
diff --git a/build_thirdparty.sh b/build_thirdparty.sh
index c48bb19f..c30d74c1 100755
--- a/build_thirdparty.sh
+++ b/build_thirdparty.sh
@@ -67,7 +67,8 @@ echo
 echo "Logging to ${log_path} (linked to ${link_path_list_str})"
 echo
 
-cmd=( python3 "${YB_THIRDPARTY_DIR}/python/yugabyte_db_thirdparty/yb_build_thirdparty_main.py" )
+cmd=( "${PYTHON:-python3}"
+      "${YB_THIRDPARTY_DIR}/python/yugabyte_db_thirdparty/yb_build_thirdparty_main.py" )
 if [[ ${#build_thirdparty_args[@]} -gt 0 ]]; then
   cmd+=( "${build_thirdparty_args[@]}" )
 fi
diff --git a/yb-thirdparty-common.sh b/yb-thirdparty-common.sh
index 24743183..7520a145 100644
--- a/yb-thirdparty-common.sh
+++ b/yb-thirdparty-common.sh
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ compute_sha256sum() {
 
 activate_virtualenv() {
   if [[ ! -d $YB_THIRDPARTY_DIR/venv ]]; then
-    python3 -m venv "$YB_THIRDPARTY_DIR/venv"
+    "${PYTHON:-python3}" -m venv "$YB_THIRDPARTY_DIR/venv"
   fi
   set +u
   # shellcheck disable=SC1090