diff --git a/src/share/vm/opto/c2_globals.hpp b/src/share/vm/opto/c2_globals.hpp
index 80996a5d7136a52aef04dfe6c2c1aa40b766d00c..4fdebf526cb46d5d5ed539f44ad1e07f1a9f272c 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/opto/c2_globals.hpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/opto/c2_globals.hpp
@@ -439,6 +439,9 @@
   product(bool, DoEscapeAnalysis, true,                                     \
           "Perform escape analysis")                                        \
                                                                             \
+  develop(bool, ExitEscapeAnalysisOnTimeout, true,                          \
+          "Exit or throw assert in EA when it reaches time limit")          \
+                                                                            \
   notproduct(bool, PrintEscapeAnalysis, false,                              \
           "Print the results of escape analysis")                           \
                                                                             \
diff --git a/src/share/vm/opto/escape.cpp b/src/share/vm/opto/escape.cpp
index 2fd6ad1ceaf6d744cc7bec494e4ebc2ea66ea25d..a5aa47119da3ccf0d9faf47417e42601a44b4213 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/opto/escape.cpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/opto/escape.cpp
@@ -1084,7 +1084,7 @@ bool ConnectionGraph::complete_connection_graph(
       C->log()->text("%s", (iterations >= CG_BUILD_ITER_LIMIT) ? "iterations" : "time");
       C->log()->end_elem(" limit'");
     }
-    assert(false, err_msg_res("infinite EA connection graph build (%f sec, %d iterations) with %d nodes and worklist size %d",
+    assert(ExitEscapeAnalysisOnTimeout, err_msg_res("infinite EA connection graph build (%f sec, %d iterations) with %d nodes and worklist size %d",
            time.seconds(), iterations, nodes_size(), ptnodes_worklist.length()));
     // Possible infinite build_connection_graph loop,
     // bailout (no changes to ideal graph were made).