diff --git a/hack/lib/golang.sh b/hack/lib/golang.sh
index 7335f850330..b1bc8cbb774 100755
--- a/hack/lib/golang.sh
+++ b/hack/lib/golang.sh
@@ -416,12 +416,12 @@ kube::golang::build_binaries_for_platform() {
   done
 }
 
-# Return approximate physical memory in gigabytes.
+# Return approximate physical memory available in gigabytes.
 kube::golang::get_physmem() {
   local mem
 
   # Linux, in kb
-  if mem=$(grep MemTotal /proc/meminfo | awk '{ print $2 }'); then
+  if mem=$(grep MemAvailable /proc/meminfo | awk '{ print $2 }'); then
     echo $(( ${mem} / 1048576 ))
     return
   fi