diff --git a/include/buffer_transfer_manager.h b/include/buffer_transfer_manager.h
index 419559219..fff50f963 100644
--- a/include/buffer_transfer_manager.h
+++ b/include/buffer_transfer_manager.h
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ namespace detail {
 			bool complete = false;
 		};
 
+		buffer_transfer_manager();
+
 		std::shared_ptr<const transfer_handle> push(const command_pkg& pkg);
 		std::shared_ptr<const transfer_handle> await_push(const command_pkg& pkg);
 
@@ -75,6 +77,8 @@ namespace detail {
 		//  - Still outstanding pushes that have been requested through ::await_push
 		std::unordered_map<command_id, std::shared_ptr<incoming_transfer_handle>> m_push_blackboard;
 
+		mpi_support::data_type m_send_recv_unit;
+
 		void poll_incoming_transfers();
 		void update_incoming_transfers();
 		void update_outgoing_transfers();
diff --git a/include/command.h b/include/command.h
index 5c18ed571..479ad3616 100644
--- a/include/command.h
+++ b/include/command.h
@@ -223,8 +223,7 @@ namespace detail {
 		using payload_type = command_id;
 
 		command_pkg pkg;
-		size_t num_dependencies = 0; // This information is duplicated from unique_frame_ptr::get_payload_count() so that we can still use a
-		                             // `const command_frame &` without its owning pointer
+		size_t num_dependencies = 0;
 		payload_type dependencies[];
 
 		// variable-sized structure
diff --git a/include/frame.h b/include/frame.h
index dd79f4ae7..c57b5e205 100644
--- a/include/frame.h
+++ b/include/frame.h
@@ -59,7 +59,6 @@ class unique_frame_ptr : private std::unique_ptr<Frame, unique_frame_delete<Fram
 	Frame* get_pointer() { return impl::get(); }
 	const Frame* get_pointer() const { return impl::get(); }
 	size_t get_size_bytes() const { return m_size_bytes; }
-	size_t get_payload_count() const { return (m_size_bytes - sizeof(Frame)) / sizeof(payload_type); }
 
 	using impl::operator bool;
 	using impl::operator*;
diff --git a/include/mpi_support.h b/include/mpi_support.h
index 0867630d5..045fa2e0d 100644
--- a/include/mpi_support.h
+++ b/include/mpi_support.h
@@ -1,9 +1,24 @@
 #pragma once
 
+#include <mpi.h>
+
 namespace celerity::detail::mpi_support {
 
 constexpr int TAG_CMD = 0;
 constexpr int TAG_DATA_TRANSFER = 1;
 constexpr int TAG_TELEMETRY = 2;
 
+class data_type {
+  public:
+	explicit data_type(MPI_Datatype dt) : m_dt(dt) {}
+	data_type(const data_type&) = delete;
+	data_type& operator=(const data_type&) = delete;
+	~data_type() { MPI_Type_free(&m_dt); }
+
+	operator MPI_Datatype() const { return m_dt; }
+
+  private:
+	MPI_Datatype m_dt;
+};
+
 } // namespace celerity::detail::mpi_support
diff --git a/src/buffer_transfer_manager.cc b/src/buffer_transfer_manager.cc
index 5b4c995ec..714a6a4b2 100644
--- a/src/buffer_transfer_manager.cc
+++ b/src/buffer_transfer_manager.cc
@@ -12,6 +12,17 @@
 namespace celerity {
 namespace detail {
 
+	inline constexpr size_t send_recv_unit_bytes = 64;
+
+	mpi_support::data_type make_send_recv_unit() {
+		MPI_Datatype unit;
+		MPI_Type_contiguous(send_recv_unit_bytes, MPI_BYTE, &unit);
+		MPI_Type_commit(&unit);
+		return mpi_support::data_type(unit);
+	}
+
+	buffer_transfer_manager::buffer_transfer_manager() : m_send_recv_unit(make_send_recv_unit()) {}
+
 	std::shared_ptr<const buffer_transfer_manager::transfer_handle> buffer_transfer_manager::push(const command_pkg& pkg) {
 		assert(pkg.get_command_type() == command_type::push);
 		auto t_handle = std::make_shared<transfer_handle>();
@@ -30,12 +41,13 @@ namespace detail {
 		frame->push_cid = pkg.cid;
 		bm.get_buffer_data(data.bid, data.sr, frame->data);
 
-		CELERITY_TRACE("Ready to send {} of buffer {} ({} B) to {}", data.sr, data.bid, frame.get_size_bytes(), data.target);
+		size_t frame_units = (frame.get_size_bytes() + send_recv_unit_bytes - 1) / send_recv_unit_bytes;
+		CELERITY_TRACE("Ready to send {} of buffer {} ({} * {}B) to {}", data.sr, data.bid, frame_units, send_recv_unit_bytes, data.target);
 
 		// Start transmitting data
 		MPI_Request req;
-		assert(frame.get_size_bytes() <= static_cast<size_t>(std::numeric_limits<int>::max()));
-		MPI_Isend(frame.get_pointer(), static_cast<int>(frame.get_size_bytes()), MPI_BYTE, static_cast<int>(data.target), mpi_support::TAG_DATA_TRANSFER,
+		assert(frame_units <= static_cast<size_t>(std::numeric_limits<int>::max()));
+		MPI_Isend(frame.get_pointer(), static_cast<int>(frame_units), m_send_recv_unit, static_cast<int>(data.target), mpi_support::TAG_DATA_TRANSFER,
 		    MPI_COMM_WORLD, &req);
 
 		auto transfer = std::make_unique<transfer_out>();
@@ -86,18 +98,18 @@ namespace detail {
 			// No incoming transfers at the moment
 			return;
 		}
-		int frame_bytes;
-		MPI_Get_count(&status, MPI_BYTE, &frame_bytes);
+		int frame_units;
+		MPI_Get_count(&status, m_send_recv_unit, &frame_units);
 
 		auto transfer = std::make_unique<transfer_in>();
 		transfer->source_nid = static_cast<node_id>(status.MPI_SOURCE);
-		transfer->frame = unique_frame_ptr<data_frame>(from_size_bytes, static_cast<size_t>(frame_bytes));
+		transfer->frame = unique_frame_ptr<data_frame>(from_size_bytes, static_cast<size_t>(frame_units) * send_recv_unit_bytes);
 
 		// Start receiving data
-		MPI_Imrecv(transfer->frame.get_pointer(), frame_bytes, MPI_BYTE, &msg, &transfer->request);
+		MPI_Imrecv(transfer->frame.get_pointer(), frame_units, m_send_recv_unit, &msg, &transfer->request);
 		m_incoming_transfers.push_back(std::move(transfer));
 
-		CELERITY_TRACE("Receiving incoming data of size {} B from {}", frame_bytes, status.MPI_SOURCE);
+		CELERITY_TRACE("Receiving incoming data of size {} * {}B from {}", frame_units, send_recv_unit_bytes, status.MPI_SOURCE);
 	}
 
 	void buffer_transfer_manager::update_incoming_transfers() {
diff --git a/src/executor.cc b/src/executor.cc
index 0d5236e47..72fd6c67f 100644
--- a/src/executor.cc
+++ b/src/executor.cc
@@ -117,7 +117,6 @@ namespace detail {
 				MPI_Get_count(&status, MPI_BYTE, &frame_bytes);
 				unique_frame_ptr<command_frame> frame(from_size_bytes, static_cast<size_t>(frame_bytes));
 				MPI_Mrecv(frame.get_pointer(), frame_bytes, MPI_BYTE, &msg, &status);
-				assert(frame->num_dependencies == frame.get_payload_count());
 				command_queue.push(std::move(frame));
 
 				if(!m_first_command_received) {