diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_vma.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_vma.c
index b4cc98330225..ed4e0fb558f7 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_vma.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_vma.c
@@ -119,6 +119,12 @@ i915_vma_retire(struct i915_gem_active *base, struct i915_request *rq)
 	__i915_vma_retire(active->vma, rq);
 }
 
+static void
+i915_vma_last_retire(struct i915_gem_active *base, struct i915_request *rq)
+{
+	__i915_vma_retire(container_of(base, struct i915_vma, last_active), rq);
+}
+
 static struct i915_vma *
 vma_create(struct drm_i915_gem_object *obj,
 	   struct i915_address_space *vm,
@@ -136,6 +142,7 @@ vma_create(struct drm_i915_gem_object *obj,
 
 	vma->active = RB_ROOT;
 
+	init_request_active(&vma->last_active, i915_vma_last_retire);
 	init_request_active(&vma->last_fence, NULL);
 	vma->vm = vm;
 	vma->ops = &vm->vma_ops;
@@ -895,6 +902,29 @@ static struct i915_gem_active *active_instance(struct i915_vma *vma, u64 idx)
 {
 	struct i915_vma_active *active;
 	struct rb_node **p, *parent;
+	struct i915_request *old;
+
+	/*
+	 * We track the most recently used timeline to skip a rbtree search
+	 * for the common case, under typical loads we never need the rbtree
+	 * at all. We can reuse the last_active slot if it is empty, that is
+	 * after the previous activity has been retired, or if the active
+	 * matches the current timeline.
+	 *
+	 * Note that we allow the timeline to be active simultaneously in
+	 * the rbtree and the last_active cache. We do this to avoid having
+	 * to search and replace the rbtree element for a new timeline, with
+	 * the cost being that we must be aware that the vma may be retired
+	 * twice for the same timeline (as the older rbtree element will be
+	 * retired before the new request added to last_active).
+	 */
+	old = i915_gem_active_raw(&vma->last_active,
+				  &vma->vm->i915->drm.struct_mutex);
+	if (!old || old->fence.context == idx)
+		goto out;
+
+	/* Move the currently active fence into the rbtree */
+	idx = old->fence.context;
 
 	parent = NULL;
 	p = &vma->active.rb_node;
@@ -903,7 +933,7 @@ static struct i915_gem_active *active_instance(struct i915_vma *vma, u64 idx)
 
 		active = rb_entry(parent, struct i915_vma_active, node);
 		if (active->timeline == idx)
-			return &active->base;
+			goto replace;
 
 		if (active->timeline < idx)
 			p = &parent->rb_right;
@@ -922,7 +952,26 @@ static struct i915_gem_active *active_instance(struct i915_vma *vma, u64 idx)
 	rb_link_node(&active->node, parent, p);
 	rb_insert_color(&active->node, &vma->active);
 
-	return &active->base;
+replace:
+	/*
+	 * Overwrite the previous active slot in the rbtree with last_active,
+	 * leaving last_active zeroed. If the previous slot is still active,
+	 * we must be careful as we now only expect to receive one retire
+	 * callback not two, and so much undo the active counting for the
+	 * overwritten slot.
+	 */
+	if (i915_gem_active_isset(&active->base)) {
+		/* Retire ourselves from the old rq->active_list */
+		__list_del_entry(&active->base.link);
+		vma->active_count--;
+		GEM_BUG_ON(!vma->active_count);
+	}
+	GEM_BUG_ON(list_empty(&vma->last_active.link));
+	list_replace_init(&vma->last_active.link, &active->base.link);
+	active->base.request = fetch_and_zero(&vma->last_active.request);
+
+out:
+	return &vma->last_active;
 }
 
 int i915_vma_move_to_active(struct i915_vma *vma,
@@ -1002,6 +1051,11 @@ int i915_vma_unbind(struct i915_vma *vma)
 		 */
 		__i915_vma_pin(vma);
 
+		ret = i915_gem_active_retire(&vma->last_active,
+					     &vma->vm->i915->drm.struct_mutex);
+		if (ret)
+			goto unpin;
+
 		rbtree_postorder_for_each_entry_safe(active, n,
 						     &vma->active, node) {
 			ret = i915_gem_active_retire(&active->base,
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_vma.h b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_vma.h
index c297b0a0dc47..f06d66377107 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_vma.h
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_vma.h
@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@ struct i915_vma {
 
 	unsigned int active_count;
 	struct rb_root active;
+	struct i915_gem_active last_active;
 	struct i915_gem_active last_fence;
 
 	/**