diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/allocator.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/allocator.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..0d00d8c3a3b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/allocator.go
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2022 The Kubernetes Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package runtime
+
+import (
+	"sync"
+)
+
+// AllocatorPool simply stores Allocator objects to avoid additional memory allocations
+// by caching created but unused items for later reuse, relieving pressure on the garbage collector.
+//
+// Usage:
+//  memoryAllocator := runtime.AllocatorPool.Get().(*runtime.Allocator)
+//  defer runtime.AllocatorPool.Put(memoryAllocator)
+//
+// A note for future:
+//  consider introducing multiple pools for storing buffers of different sizes
+//  perhaps this could allow us to be more efficient.
+var AllocatorPool = sync.Pool{
+	New: func() interface{} {
+		return &Allocator{}
+	},
+}
+
+// Allocator knows how to allocate memory
+// It exists to make the cost of object serialization cheaper.
+// In some cases, it allows for allocating memory only once and then reusing it.
+// This approach puts less load on GC and leads to less fragmented memory in general.
+type Allocator struct {
+	buf []byte
+}
+
+var _ MemoryAllocator = &Allocator{}
+
+// Allocate reserves memory for n bytes only if the underlying array doesn't have enough capacity
+// otherwise it returns previously allocated block of memory.
+//
+// Note that the returned array is not zeroed, it is the caller's
+// responsibility to clean the memory if needed.
+func (a *Allocator) Allocate(n uint64) []byte {
+	if uint64(cap(a.buf)) >= n {
+		a.buf = a.buf[:n]
+		return a.buf
+	}
+	// grow the buffer
+	size := uint64(2*cap(a.buf)) + n
+	a.buf = make([]byte, size, size)
+	a.buf = a.buf[:n]
+	return a.buf
+}
+
+// SimpleAllocator a wrapper around make([]byte)
+// conforms to the MemoryAllocator interface
+type SimpleAllocator struct{}
+
+var _ MemoryAllocator = &SimpleAllocator{}
+
+func (sa *SimpleAllocator) Allocate(n uint64) []byte {
+	return make([]byte, n, n)
+}
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/allocator_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/allocator_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..067a5dda5e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/allocator_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2022 The Kubernetes Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package runtime
+
+import (
+	"math/rand"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestAllocatorRandomInputs(t *testing.T) {
+	maxBytes := 5 * 1000000 // 5 MB
+	iterations := rand.Intn(10000) + 10
+	target := &Allocator{}
+
+	for i := 0; i < iterations; i++ {
+		bytesToAllocate := rand.Intn(maxBytes)
+		buff := target.Allocate(uint64(bytesToAllocate))
+		if cap(buff) < bytesToAllocate {
+			t.Fatalf("expected the buffer to allocate: %v bytes whereas it allocated: %v bytes", bytesToAllocate, cap(buff))
+		}
+		if len(buff) != bytesToAllocate {
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected length of the buffer, expected: %v, got: %v", bytesToAllocate, len(buff))
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAllocatorNeverShrinks(t *testing.T) {
+	target := &Allocator{}
+	initialSize := 1000000 // 1MB
+	initialBuff := target.Allocate(uint64(initialSize))
+	if cap(initialBuff) < initialSize {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected size of the buffer, expected at least 1MB, got: %v", cap(initialBuff))
+	}
+
+	for i := initialSize; i > 0; i = i / 10 {
+		newBuff := target.Allocate(uint64(i))
+		if cap(newBuff) < initialSize {
+			t.Fatalf("allocator is now allowed to shrink memory")
+		}
+		if len(newBuff) != i {
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected length of the buffer, expected: %v, got: %v", i, len(newBuff))
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAllocatorZero(t *testing.T) {
+	target := &Allocator{}
+	initialSize := 1000000 // 1MB
+	buff := target.Allocate(uint64(initialSize))
+	if cap(buff) < initialSize {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected size of the buffer, expected at least 1MB, got: %v", cap(buff))
+	}
+	if len(buff) != initialSize {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected length of the buffer, expected: %v, got: %v", initialSize, len(buff))
+	}
+
+	buff = target.Allocate(0)
+	if cap(buff) < initialSize {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected size of the buffer, expected at least 1MB, got: %v", cap(buff))
+	}
+	if len(buff) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected length of the buffer, expected: 0, got: %v", len(buff))
+	}
+}
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/interfaces.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/interfaces.go
index bd4f22b1bc8..710a977952f 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/interfaces.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/interfaces.go
@@ -69,6 +69,24 @@ type Encoder interface {
 	Identifier() Identifier
 }
 
+// MemoryAllocator is responsible for allocating memory.
+// By encapsulating memory allocation into its own interface, we can reuse the memory
+// across many operations in places we know it can significantly improve the performance.
+type MemoryAllocator interface {
+	// Allocate reserves memory for n bytes.
+	// Note that implementations of this method are not required to zero the returned array.
+	// It is the caller's responsibility to clean the memory if needed.
+	Allocate(n uint64) []byte
+}
+
+// EncoderWithAllocator  serializes objects in a way that allows callers to manage any additional memory allocations.
+type EncoderWithAllocator interface {
+	Encoder
+	// EncodeWithAllocator writes an object to a stream as Encode does.
+	// In addition, it allows for providing a memory allocator for efficient memory usage during object serialization
+	EncodeWithAllocator(obj Object, w io.Writer, memAlloc MemoryAllocator) error
+}
+
 // Decoder attempts to load an object from data.
 type Decoder interface {
 	// Decode attempts to deserialize the provided data using either the innate typing of the scheme or the
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/encoder_with_allocator_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/encoder_with_allocator_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..73406d0731b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/encoder_with_allocator_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2022 The Kubernetes Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package serializer
+
+import (
+	"crypto/rand"
+	"io/ioutil"
+	"testing"
+
+	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	testapigroupv1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/testapigroup/v1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/protobuf"
+)
+
+func BenchmarkProtobufEncoder(b *testing.B) {
+	benchmarkEncodeFor(b, protobuf.NewSerializer(nil, nil))
+}
+
+func BenchmarkProtobufEncodeWithAllocator(b *testing.B) {
+	benchmarkEncodeWithAllocatorFor(b, protobuf.NewSerializer(nil, nil))
+}
+
+func BenchmarkRawProtobufEncoder(b *testing.B) {
+	benchmarkEncodeFor(b, protobuf.NewRawSerializer(nil, nil))
+}
+
+func BenchmarkRawProtobufEncodeWithAllocator(b *testing.B) {
+	benchmarkEncodeWithAllocatorFor(b, protobuf.NewRawSerializer(nil, nil))
+}
+
+func benchmarkEncodeFor(b *testing.B, target runtime.Encoder) {
+	for _, tc := range benchTestCases() {
+		b.Run(tc.name, func(b *testing.B) {
+			b.ReportAllocs()
+			for n := 0; n < b.N; n++ {
+				err := target.Encode(tc.obj, ioutil.Discard)
+				if err != nil {
+					b.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func benchmarkEncodeWithAllocatorFor(b *testing.B, target runtime.EncoderWithAllocator) {
+	for _, tc := range benchTestCases() {
+		b.Run(tc.name, func(b *testing.B) {
+			b.ReportAllocs()
+			allocator := &runtime.Allocator{}
+			for n := 0; n < b.N; n++ {
+				err := target.EncodeWithAllocator(tc.obj, ioutil.Discard, allocator)
+				if err != nil {
+					b.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+type benchTestCase struct {
+	name string
+	obj  runtime.Object
+}
+
+func benchTestCases() []benchTestCase {
+	return []benchTestCase{
+		{
+			name: "an obj with 1kB payload",
+			obj: func() runtime.Object {
+				carpPayload := make([]byte, 1000) // 1 kB
+				if _, err := rand.Read(carpPayload); err != nil {
+					panic(err)
+				}
+				return carpWithPayload(carpPayload)
+			}(),
+		},
+		{
+			name: "an obj with 10kB payload",
+			obj: func() runtime.Object {
+				carpPayload := make([]byte, 10000) // 10 kB
+				if _, err := rand.Read(carpPayload); err != nil {
+					panic(err)
+				}
+				return carpWithPayload(carpPayload)
+			}(),
+		},
+		{
+			name: "an obj with 100kB payload",
+			obj: func() runtime.Object {
+				carpPayload := make([]byte, 100000) // 100 kB
+				if _, err := rand.Read(carpPayload); err != nil {
+					panic(err)
+				}
+				return carpWithPayload(carpPayload)
+			}(),
+		},
+		{
+			name: "an obj with 1MB payload",
+			obj: func() runtime.Object {
+				carpPayload := make([]byte, 1000000) // 1 MB
+				if _, err := rand.Read(carpPayload); err != nil {
+					panic(err)
+				}
+				return carpWithPayload(carpPayload)
+			}(),
+		},
+	}
+}
+
+func carpWithPayload(carpPayload []byte) *testapigroupv1.Carp {
+	gvk := &schema.GroupVersionKind{Group: "group", Version: "version", Kind: "Carp"}
+	return &testapigroupv1.Carp{
+		TypeMeta: metav1.TypeMeta{APIVersion: gvk.GroupVersion().String(), Kind: gvk.Kind},
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name:      "name",
+			Namespace: "namespace",
+		},
+		Spec: testapigroupv1.CarpSpec{
+			Subdomain:    "carp.k8s.io",
+			NodeSelector: map[string]string{"payload": string(carpPayload)},
+		},
+	}
+}
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/protobuf/protobuf.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/protobuf/protobuf.go
index 8358d77c39e..c63e6dc63f6 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/protobuf/protobuf.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/protobuf/protobuf.go
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/recognizer"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/framer"
+	"k8s.io/klog/v2"
 )
 
 var (
@@ -86,6 +87,7 @@ type Serializer struct {
 }
 
 var _ runtime.Serializer = &Serializer{}
+var _ runtime.EncoderWithAllocator = &Serializer{}
 var _ recognizer.RecognizingDecoder = &Serializer{}
 
 const serializerIdentifier runtime.Identifier = "protobuf"
@@ -161,22 +163,36 @@ func (s *Serializer) Decode(originalData []byte, gvk *schema.GroupVersionKind, i
 	return unmarshalToObject(s.typer, s.creater, &actual, into, unk.Raw)
 }
 
-// Encode serializes the provided object to the given writer.
-func (s *Serializer) Encode(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer) error {
-	if co, ok := obj.(runtime.CacheableObject); ok {
-		return co.CacheEncode(s.Identifier(), s.doEncode, w)
-	}
-	return s.doEncode(obj, w)
+// EncodeWithAllocator writes an object to the provided writer.
+// In addition, it allows for providing a memory allocator for efficient memory usage during object serialization.
+func (s *Serializer) EncodeWithAllocator(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer, memAlloc runtime.MemoryAllocator) error {
+	return s.encode(obj, w, memAlloc)
 }
 
-func (s *Serializer) doEncode(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer) error {
+// Encode serializes the provided object to the given writer.
+func (s *Serializer) Encode(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer) error {
+	return s.encode(obj, w, &runtime.SimpleAllocator{})
+}
+
+func (s *Serializer) encode(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer, memAlloc runtime.MemoryAllocator) error {
+	if co, ok := obj.(runtime.CacheableObject); ok {
+		return co.CacheEncode(s.Identifier(), func(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer) error { return s.doEncode(obj, w, memAlloc) }, w)
+	}
+	return s.doEncode(obj, w, memAlloc)
+}
+
+func (s *Serializer) doEncode(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer, memAlloc runtime.MemoryAllocator) error {
+	if memAlloc == nil {
+		klog.Error("a mandatory memory allocator wasn't provided, this might have a negative impact on performance, check invocations of EncodeWithAllocator method, falling back on runtime.SimpleAllocator")
+		memAlloc = &runtime.SimpleAllocator{}
+	}
 	prefixSize := uint64(len(s.prefix))
 
 	var unk runtime.Unknown
 	switch t := obj.(type) {
 	case *runtime.Unknown:
 		estimatedSize := prefixSize + uint64(t.Size())
-		data := make([]byte, estimatedSize)
+		data := memAlloc.Allocate(estimatedSize)
 		i, err := t.MarshalTo(data[prefixSize:])
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
@@ -196,11 +212,11 @@ func (s *Serializer) doEncode(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer) error {
 
 	switch t := obj.(type) {
 	case bufferedMarshaller:
-		// this path performs a single allocation during write but requires the caller to implement
-		// the more efficient Size and MarshalToSizedBuffer methods
+		// this path performs a single allocation during write only when the Allocator wasn't provided
+		// it also requires the caller to implement the more efficient Size and MarshalToSizedBuffer methods
 		encodedSize := uint64(t.Size())
 		estimatedSize := prefixSize + estimateUnknownSize(&unk, encodedSize)
-		data := make([]byte, estimatedSize)
+		data := memAlloc.Allocate(estimatedSize)
 
 		i, err := unk.NestedMarshalTo(data[prefixSize:], t, encodedSize)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -221,7 +237,7 @@ func (s *Serializer) doEncode(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer) error {
 		unk.Raw = data
 
 		estimatedSize := prefixSize + uint64(unk.Size())
-		data = make([]byte, estimatedSize)
+		data = memAlloc.Allocate(estimatedSize)
 
 		i, err := unk.MarshalTo(data[prefixSize:])
 		if err != nil {
@@ -395,19 +411,33 @@ func unmarshalToObject(typer runtime.ObjectTyper, creater runtime.ObjectCreater,
 
 // Encode serializes the provided object to the given writer. Overrides is ignored.
 func (s *RawSerializer) Encode(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer) error {
-	if co, ok := obj.(runtime.CacheableObject); ok {
-		return co.CacheEncode(s.Identifier(), s.doEncode, w)
-	}
-	return s.doEncode(obj, w)
+	return s.encode(obj, w, &runtime.SimpleAllocator{})
 }
 
-func (s *RawSerializer) doEncode(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer) error {
+// EncodeWithAllocator writes an object to the provided writer.
+// In addition, it allows for providing a memory allocator for efficient memory usage during object serialization.
+func (s *RawSerializer) EncodeWithAllocator(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer, memAlloc runtime.MemoryAllocator) error {
+	return s.encode(obj, w, memAlloc)
+}
+
+func (s *RawSerializer) encode(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer, memAlloc runtime.MemoryAllocator) error {
+	if co, ok := obj.(runtime.CacheableObject); ok {
+		return co.CacheEncode(s.Identifier(), func(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer) error { return s.doEncode(obj, w, memAlloc) }, w)
+	}
+	return s.doEncode(obj, w, memAlloc)
+}
+
+func (s *RawSerializer) doEncode(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer, memAlloc runtime.MemoryAllocator) error {
+	if memAlloc == nil {
+		klog.Error("a mandatory memory allocator wasn't provided, this might have a negative impact on performance, check invocations of EncodeWithAllocator method, falling back on runtime.SimpleAllocator")
+		memAlloc = &runtime.SimpleAllocator{}
+	}
 	switch t := obj.(type) {
 	case bufferedReverseMarshaller:
-		// this path performs a single allocation during write but requires the caller to implement
-		// the more efficient Size and MarshalToSizedBuffer methods
+		// this path performs a single allocation during write only when the Allocator wasn't provided
+		// it also requires the caller to implement the more efficient Size and MarshalToSizedBuffer methods
 		encodedSize := uint64(t.Size())
-		data := make([]byte, encodedSize)
+		data := memAlloc.Allocate(encodedSize)
 
 		n, err := t.MarshalToSizedBuffer(data)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -417,10 +447,10 @@ func (s *RawSerializer) doEncode(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer) error {
 		return err
 
 	case bufferedMarshaller:
-		// this path performs a single allocation during write but requires the caller to implement
-		// the more efficient Size and MarshalTo methods
+		// this path performs a single allocation during write only when the Allocator wasn't provided
+		// it also requires the caller to implement the more efficient Size and MarshalTo methods
 		encodedSize := uint64(t.Size())
-		data := make([]byte, encodedSize)
+		data := memAlloc.Allocate(encodedSize)
 
 		n, err := t.MarshalTo(data)
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/protobuf/protobuf_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/protobuf/protobuf_test.go
index 001b0f64786..27f4496d18a 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/protobuf/protobuf_test.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/protobuf/protobuf_test.go
@@ -17,8 +17,12 @@ limitations under the License.
 package protobuf
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
+	"reflect"
 	"testing"
 
+	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	testapigroupv1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/testapigroup/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema"
 	runtimetesting "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/testing"
@@ -66,3 +70,111 @@ func (t *mockTyper) ObjectKinds(obj runtime.Object) ([]schema.GroupVersionKind,
 func (t *mockTyper) Recognizes(_ schema.GroupVersionKind) bool {
 	return false
 }
+
+func TestSerializerEncodeWithAllocator(t *testing.T) {
+	testCases := []struct {
+		name string
+		obj  runtime.Object
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "encode a bufferedMarshaller obj",
+			obj: &testapigroupv1.Carp{
+				TypeMeta: metav1.TypeMeta{APIVersion: "group/version", Kind: "Carp"},
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "name",
+					Namespace: "namespace",
+				},
+				Spec: testapigroupv1.CarpSpec{
+					Subdomain: "carp.k8s.io",
+				},
+			},
+		},
+
+		{
+			name: "encode a runtime.Unknown obj",
+			obj:  &runtime.Unknown{TypeMeta: runtime.TypeMeta{APIVersion: "group/version", Kind: "Unknown"}, Raw: []byte("hello world")},
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range testCases {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			target := NewSerializer(nil, nil)
+
+			writer := &bytes.Buffer{}
+			if err := target.Encode(tc.obj, writer); err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			writer2 := &bytes.Buffer{}
+			alloc := &testAllocator{}
+			if err := target.EncodeWithAllocator(tc.obj, writer2, alloc); err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			if alloc.allocateCount != 1 {
+				t.Fatalf("expected the Allocate method to be called exactly 1 but it was executed: %v times ", alloc.allocateCount)
+			}
+
+			// to ensure compatibility of the new method with the old one, serialized data must be equal
+			// also we are not testing decoding since "roundtripping" is tested elsewhere for all known types
+			if !reflect.DeepEqual(writer.Bytes(), writer2.Bytes()) {
+				t.Fatal("data mismatch, data serialized with the Encode method is different than serialized with the EncodeWithAllocator method")
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRawSerializerEncodeWithAllocator(t *testing.T) {
+	testCases := []struct {
+		name string
+		obj  runtime.Object
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "encode a bufferedReverseMarshaller obj",
+			obj: &testapigroupv1.Carp{
+				TypeMeta: metav1.TypeMeta{APIVersion: "group/version", Kind: "Carp"},
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "name",
+					Namespace: "namespace",
+				},
+				Spec: testapigroupv1.CarpSpec{
+					Subdomain: "carp.k8s.io",
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range testCases {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			writer := &bytes.Buffer{}
+			target := NewRawSerializer(nil, nil)
+
+			if err := target.Encode(tc.obj, writer); err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			writer2 := &bytes.Buffer{}
+			alloc := &testAllocator{}
+			if err := target.EncodeWithAllocator(tc.obj, writer2, alloc); err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			if alloc.allocateCount != 1 {
+				t.Fatalf("expected the Allocate method to be called exactly 1 but it was executed: %v times ", alloc.allocateCount)
+			}
+
+			// to ensure compatibility of the new method with the old one, serialized data must be equal
+			// also we are not testing decoding since "roundtripping" is tested elsewhere for all known types
+			if !reflect.DeepEqual(writer.Bytes(), writer2.Bytes()) {
+				t.Fatal("data mismatch, data serialized with the Encode method is different than serialized with the EncodeWithAllocator method")
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+type testAllocator struct {
+	buf           []byte
+	allocateCount int
+}
+
+func (ta *testAllocator) Allocate(n uint64) []byte {
+	ta.buf = make([]byte, n, n)
+	ta.allocateCount++
+	return ta.buf
+}
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/streaming/streaming.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/streaming/streaming.go
index 971c46d496a..87b3fec3f2d 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/streaming/streaming.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/streaming/streaming.go
@@ -134,3 +134,23 @@ func (e *encoder) Encode(obj runtime.Object) error {
 	e.buf.Reset()
 	return err
 }
+
+type encoderWithAllocator struct {
+	writer       io.Writer
+	encoder      runtime.EncoderWithAllocator
+	memAllocator runtime.MemoryAllocator
+}
+
+// NewEncoderWithAllocator returns a new streaming encoder
+func NewEncoderWithAllocator(w io.Writer, e runtime.EncoderWithAllocator, a runtime.MemoryAllocator) Encoder {
+	return &encoderWithAllocator{
+		writer:       w,
+		encoder:      e,
+		memAllocator: a,
+	}
+}
+
+// Encode writes the provided object to the nested writer
+func (e *encoderWithAllocator) Encode(obj runtime.Object) error {
+	return e.encoder.EncodeWithAllocator(obj, e.writer, e.memAllocator)
+}
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/versioning/versioning.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/versioning/versioning.go
index 844730e6ba3..7b60b128b09 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/versioning/versioning.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/versioning/versioning.go
@@ -89,6 +89,8 @@ type codec struct {
 	originalSchemeName string
 }
 
+var _ runtime.EncoderWithAllocator = &codec{}
+
 var identifiersMap sync.Map
 
 type codecIdentifier struct {
@@ -192,19 +194,40 @@ func (c *codec) Decode(data []byte, defaultGVK *schema.GroupVersionKind, into ru
 	return out, gvk, strictDecodingErr
 }
 
+// EncodeWithAllocator ensures the provided object is output in the appropriate group and version, invoking
+// conversion if necessary. Unversioned objects (according to the ObjectTyper) are output as is.
+// In addition, it allows for providing a memory allocator for efficient memory usage during object serialization.
+func (c *codec) EncodeWithAllocator(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer, memAlloc runtime.MemoryAllocator) error {
+	return c.encode(obj, w, memAlloc)
+}
+
 // Encode ensures the provided object is output in the appropriate group and version, invoking
 // conversion if necessary. Unversioned objects (according to the ObjectTyper) are output as is.
 func (c *codec) Encode(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer) error {
-	if co, ok := obj.(runtime.CacheableObject); ok {
-		return co.CacheEncode(c.Identifier(), c.doEncode, w)
-	}
-	return c.doEncode(obj, w)
+	return c.encode(obj, w, nil)
 }
 
-func (c *codec) doEncode(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer) error {
+func (c *codec) encode(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer, memAlloc runtime.MemoryAllocator) error {
+	if co, ok := obj.(runtime.CacheableObject); ok {
+		return co.CacheEncode(c.Identifier(), func(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer) error { return c.doEncode(obj, w, memAlloc) }, w)
+	}
+	return c.doEncode(obj, w, memAlloc)
+}
+
+func (c *codec) doEncode(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer, memAlloc runtime.MemoryAllocator) error {
+	encodeFn := c.encoder.Encode
+	if memAlloc != nil {
+		if encoder, supportsAllocator := c.encoder.(runtime.EncoderWithAllocator); supportsAllocator {
+			encodeFn = func(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer) error {
+				return encoder.EncodeWithAllocator(obj, w, memAlloc)
+			}
+		} else {
+			klog.V(4).Infof("a memory allocator was provided but the encoder %T doesn't implement the runtime.EncoderWithAllocator, using regular encoder.Encode method")
+		}
+	}
 	switch obj := obj.(type) {
 	case *runtime.Unknown:
-		return c.encoder.Encode(obj, w)
+		return encodeFn(obj, w)
 	case runtime.Unstructured:
 		// An unstructured list can contain objects of multiple group version kinds. don't short-circuit just
 		// because the top-level type matches our desired destination type. actually send the object to the converter
@@ -213,14 +236,14 @@ func (c *codec) doEncode(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer) error {
 			// avoid conversion roundtrip if GVK is the right one already or is empty (yes, this is a hack, but the old behaviour we rely on in kubectl)
 			objGVK := obj.GetObjectKind().GroupVersionKind()
 			if len(objGVK.Version) == 0 {
-				return c.encoder.Encode(obj, w)
+				return encodeFn(obj, w)
 			}
 			targetGVK, ok := c.encodeVersion.KindForGroupVersionKinds([]schema.GroupVersionKind{objGVK})
 			if !ok {
 				return runtime.NewNotRegisteredGVKErrForTarget(c.originalSchemeName, objGVK, c.encodeVersion)
 			}
 			if targetGVK == objGVK {
-				return c.encoder.Encode(obj, w)
+				return encodeFn(obj, w)
 			}
 		}
 	}
@@ -242,7 +265,7 @@ func (c *codec) doEncode(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer) error {
 			}
 		}
 		objectKind.SetGroupVersionKind(gvks[0])
-		return c.encoder.Encode(obj, w)
+		return encodeFn(obj, w)
 	}
 
 	// Perform a conversion if necessary
@@ -258,7 +281,7 @@ func (c *codec) doEncode(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer) error {
 	}
 
 	// Conversion is responsible for setting the proper group, version, and kind onto the outgoing object
-	return c.encoder.Encode(out, w)
+	return encodeFn(out, w)
 }
 
 // Identifier implements runtime.Encoder interface.
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/versioning/versioning_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/versioning/versioning_test.go
index 82372cd25cf..ee12a69adf2 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/versioning/versioning_test.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/versioning/versioning_test.go
@@ -125,8 +125,9 @@ func TestNestedEncodeError(t *testing.T) {
 	gvk1 := schema.GroupVersionKind{Kind: "test", Group: "other", Version: "v1"}
 	gvk2 := schema.GroupVersionKind{Kind: "test", Group: "other", Version: "v2"}
 	n.SetGroupVersionKind(gvk1)
+	encoder := &mockSerializer{obj: n}
 	codec := NewCodec(
-		nil, nil,
+		encoder, nil,
 		&mockConvertor{},
 		nil,
 		&mockTyper{gvks: []schema.GroupVersionKind{gvk1, gvk2}},
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/watch.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/watch.go
index 818d94ae4c8..c155b925f78 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/watch.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/watch.go
@@ -19,10 +19,13 @@ package handlers
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"net/http"
 	"reflect"
 	"time"
 
+	"golang.org/x/net/websocket"
+
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
@@ -32,8 +35,6 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/negotiation"
 	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/metrics"
 	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/util/wsstream"
-
-	"golang.org/x/net/websocket"
 )
 
 // nothing will ever be sent down this channel
@@ -187,7 +188,17 @@ func (s *WatchServer) ServeHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) {
 		s.Scope.err(errors.NewBadRequest(err.Error()), w, req)
 		return
 	}
-	e := streaming.NewEncoder(framer, s.Encoder)
+
+	var e streaming.Encoder
+	var memoryAllocator runtime.MemoryAllocator
+
+	if encoder, supportsAllocator := s.Encoder.(runtime.EncoderWithAllocator); supportsAllocator {
+		memoryAllocator = runtime.AllocatorPool.Get().(*runtime.Allocator)
+		defer runtime.AllocatorPool.Put(memoryAllocator)
+		e = streaming.NewEncoderWithAllocator(framer, encoder, memoryAllocator)
+	} else {
+		e = streaming.NewEncoder(framer, s.Encoder)
+	}
 
 	// ensure the connection times out
 	timeoutCh, cleanup := s.TimeoutFactory.TimeoutCh()
@@ -206,6 +217,19 @@ func (s *WatchServer) ServeHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) {
 	ch := s.Watching.ResultChan()
 	done := req.Context().Done()
 
+	embeddedEncodeFn := s.EmbeddedEncoder.Encode
+	if encoder, supportsAllocator := s.EmbeddedEncoder.(runtime.EncoderWithAllocator); supportsAllocator {
+		if memoryAllocator == nil {
+			// don't put the allocator inside the embeddedEncodeFn as that would allocate memory on every call.
+			// instead, we allocate the buffer for the entire watch session and release it when we close the connection.
+			memoryAllocator = runtime.AllocatorPool.Get().(*runtime.Allocator)
+			defer runtime.AllocatorPool.Put(memoryAllocator)
+		}
+		embeddedEncodeFn = func(obj runtime.Object, w io.Writer) error {
+			return encoder.EncodeWithAllocator(obj, w, memoryAllocator)
+		}
+	}
+
 	for {
 		select {
 		case <-done:
@@ -220,7 +244,7 @@ func (s *WatchServer) ServeHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) {
 			metrics.WatchEvents.WithContext(req.Context()).WithLabelValues(kind.Group, kind.Version, kind.Kind).Inc()
 
 			obj := s.Fixup(event.Object)
-			if err := s.EmbeddedEncoder.Encode(obj, buf); err != nil {
+			if err := embeddedEncodeFn(obj, buf); err != nil {
 				// unexpected error
 				utilruntime.HandleError(fmt.Errorf("unable to encode watch object %T: %v", obj, err))
 				return