diff --git a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/channel_gk20a.c b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/channel_gk20a.c
index 6015ab5ea..8db885e33 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/channel_gk20a.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/channel_gk20a.c
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@
 
 #define NVMAP_HANDLE_PARAM_SIZE 1
 
+#define NVGPU_BEGIN_AGGRESSIVE_SYNC_DESTROY_LIMIT	64	/* channels */
+
 static struct channel_gk20a *allocate_channel(struct fifo_gk20a *f);
 static void free_channel(struct fifo_gk20a *f, struct channel_gk20a *c);
 
@@ -64,6 +66,7 @@ static void gk20a_free_error_notifiers(struct channel_gk20a *ch);
 static struct channel_gk20a *allocate_channel(struct fifo_gk20a *f)
 {
 	struct channel_gk20a *ch = NULL;
+	struct gk20a_platform *platform = gk20a_get_platform(f->g->dev);
 
 	mutex_lock(&f->free_chs_mutex);
 	if (!list_empty(&f->free_chs)) {
@@ -72,21 +75,31 @@ static struct channel_gk20a *allocate_channel(struct fifo_gk20a *f)
 		list_del(&ch->free_chs);
 		WARN_ON(atomic_read(&ch->ref_count));
 		WARN_ON(ch->referenceable);
+		f->used_channels++;
 	}
 	mutex_unlock(&f->free_chs_mutex);
 
+	if (f->used_channels > NVGPU_BEGIN_AGGRESSIVE_SYNC_DESTROY_LIMIT)
+		platform->aggressive_sync_destroy = true;
+
 	return ch;
 }
 
 static void free_channel(struct fifo_gk20a *f,
 		struct channel_gk20a *ch)
 {
+	struct gk20a_platform *platform = gk20a_get_platform(f->g->dev);
+
 	trace_gk20a_release_used_channel(ch->hw_chid);
 	/* refcount is zero here and channel is in a freed/dead state */
 	mutex_lock(&f->free_chs_mutex);
 	/* add to head to increase visibility of timing-related bugs */
 	list_add(&ch->free_chs, &f->free_chs);
+	f->used_channels--;
 	mutex_unlock(&f->free_chs_mutex);
+
+	if (f->used_channels < NVGPU_BEGIN_AGGRESSIVE_SYNC_DESTROY_LIMIT)
+		platform->aggressive_sync_destroy = false;
 }
 
 int channel_gk20a_commit_va(struct channel_gk20a *c)
@@ -311,6 +324,7 @@ static void channel_gk20a_bind(struct channel_gk20a *ch_gk20a)
 void channel_gk20a_unbind(struct channel_gk20a *ch_gk20a)
 {
 	struct gk20a *g = ch_gk20a->g;
+	struct gk20a_platform *platform = gk20a_get_platform(g->dev);
 
 	gk20a_dbg_fn("");
 
@@ -327,8 +341,7 @@ void channel_gk20a_unbind(struct channel_gk20a *ch_gk20a)
 	 * if not, then it will be destroyed at channel_free()
 	 */
 	mutex_lock(&ch_gk20a->sync_lock);
-	if (ch_gk20a->sync && ch_gk20a->sync->aggressive_destroy) {
-
+	if (ch_gk20a->sync && platform->aggressive_sync_destroy) {
 		ch_gk20a->sync->destroy(ch_gk20a->sync);
 		ch_gk20a->sync = NULL;
 	}
@@ -1715,6 +1728,7 @@ void gk20a_channel_update(struct channel_gk20a *c, int nr_completed)
 {
 	struct vm_gk20a *vm = c->vm;
 	struct channel_gk20a_job *job, *n;
+	struct gk20a_platform *platform = gk20a_get_platform(c->g->dev);
 
 	trace_gk20a_channel_update(c->hw_chid);
 
@@ -1769,7 +1783,7 @@ void gk20a_channel_update(struct channel_gk20a *c, int nr_completed)
 	 */
 	if (list_empty(&c->jobs)) {
 		mutex_lock(&c->sync_lock);
-		if (c->sync && c->sync->aggressive_destroy &&
+		if (c->sync && platform->aggressive_sync_destroy &&
 			  gk20a_fence_is_expired(c->last_submit.post_fence)) {
 			c->sync->destroy(c->sync);
 			c->sync = NULL;
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/channel_sync_gk20a.c b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/channel_sync_gk20a.c
index 7f70d3472..95647774c 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/channel_sync_gk20a.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/channel_sync_gk20a.c
@@ -345,8 +345,6 @@ gk20a_channel_syncpt_create(struct channel_gk20a *c)
 	sp->ops.syncpt_id		= gk20a_channel_syncpt_id;
 	sp->ops.destroy			= gk20a_channel_syncpt_destroy;
 
-	sp->ops.aggressive_destroy	= true;
-
 	return &sp->ops;
 }
 #endif /* CONFIG_TEGRA_GK20A */
@@ -690,10 +688,6 @@ gk20a_channel_semaphore_create(struct channel_gk20a *c)
 	sema->ops.syncpt_id	= gk20a_channel_semaphore_syncpt_id;
 	sema->ops.destroy	= gk20a_channel_semaphore_destroy;
 
-	/* Aggressively destroying the semaphore sync would cause overhead
-	 * since the pool needs to be mapped to GMMU. */
-	sema->ops.aggressive_destroy = false;
-
 	return &sema->ops;
 clean_up:
 	gk20a_channel_semaphore_destroy(&sema->ops);
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/fifo_gk20a.h b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/fifo_gk20a.h
index 3f9fac548..1b47677b1 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/fifo_gk20a.h
+++ b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/fifo_gk20a.h
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ struct fifo_gk20a {
 	struct mem_desc userd;
 	u32 userd_entry_size;
 
+	int used_channels;
 	struct channel_gk20a *channel;
 	/* zero-kref'd channels here */
 	struct list_head free_chs;
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/platform_gk20a.h b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/platform_gk20a.h
index b7a28ea57..84b3fcafc 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/platform_gk20a.h
+++ b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/platform_gk20a.h
@@ -47,6 +47,9 @@ struct gk20a_platform {
 	/* Should be populated at probe. */
 	bool has_syncpoints;
 
+	/* flag to set sync destroy aggressiveness */
+	bool aggressive_sync_destroy;
+
 	/* Should be populated by probe. */
 	struct dentry *debugfs;
 	struct dentry *debugfs_alias;
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/vgpu/fifo_vgpu.c b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/vgpu/fifo_vgpu.c
index 664f8c5bc..dd6630a77 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/vgpu/fifo_vgpu.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/vgpu/fifo_vgpu.c
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ static void vgpu_channel_unbind(struct channel_gk20a *ch)
 	 * resource at this point
 	 * if not, then it will be destroyed at channel_free()
 	 */
-	if (ch->sync && ch->sync->aggressive_destroy) {
+	if (ch->sync && platform->aggressive_sync_destroy) {
 		ch->sync->destroy(ch->sync);
 		ch->sync = NULL;
 	}