diff --git a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/cde_gk20a.c b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/cde_gk20a.c
index f5b68e724..6f8c160c2 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/cde_gk20a.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/cde_gk20a.c
@@ -1125,9 +1125,9 @@ __releases(&cde_app->mutex)
 	struct gk20a_cde_app *cde_app = &g->cde_app;
 	bool channel_idle;
 
-	mutex_lock(&ch->jobs_lock);
+	spin_lock(&ch->jobs_lock);
 	channel_idle = list_empty(&ch->jobs);
-	mutex_unlock(&ch->jobs_lock);
+	spin_unlock(&ch->jobs_lock);
 
 	if (!channel_idle)
 		return;
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/ce2_gk20a.c b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/ce2_gk20a.c
index 8ea0b2d50..9be37a5e6 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/ce2_gk20a.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/ce2_gk20a.c
@@ -126,9 +126,9 @@ static void gk20a_ce_finished_ctx_cb(struct channel_gk20a *ch, void *data)
 	bool channel_idle;
 	u32 event;
 
-	mutex_lock(&ch->jobs_lock);
+	spin_lock(&ch->jobs_lock);
 	channel_idle = list_empty(&ch->jobs);
-	mutex_unlock(&ch->jobs_lock);
+	spin_unlock(&ch->jobs_lock);
 
 	if (!channel_idle)
 		return;
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/channel_gk20a.c b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/channel_gk20a.c
index d4cf69158..e45f7501f 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/channel_gk20a.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/channel_gk20a.c
@@ -472,14 +472,14 @@ void gk20a_channel_abort_clean_up(struct channel_gk20a *ch)
 
 	/* release all job semaphores (applies only to jobs that use
 	   semaphore synchronization) */
-	mutex_lock(&ch->jobs_lock);
+	spin_lock(&ch->jobs_lock);
 	list_for_each_entry_safe(job, n, &ch->jobs, list) {
 		if (job->post_fence->semaphore) {
 			gk20a_semaphore_release(job->post_fence->semaphore);
 			released_job_semaphore = true;
 		}
 	}
-	mutex_unlock(&ch->jobs_lock);
+	spin_unlock(&ch->jobs_lock);
 
 	if (released_job_semaphore)
 		wake_up_interruptible_all(&ch->semaphore_wq);
@@ -512,9 +512,9 @@ int gk20a_wait_channel_idle(struct channel_gk20a *ch)
 		msecs_to_jiffies(gk20a_get_gr_idle_timeout(ch->g));
 
 	do {
-		mutex_lock(&ch->jobs_lock);
+		spin_lock(&ch->jobs_lock);
 		channel_idle = list_empty(&ch->jobs);
-		mutex_unlock(&ch->jobs_lock);
+		spin_unlock(&ch->jobs_lock);
 		if (channel_idle)
 			break;
 
@@ -1850,9 +1850,9 @@ static int gk20a_channel_add_job(struct channel_gk20a *c,
 
 		gk20a_channel_timeout_start(c, job);
 
-		mutex_lock(&c->jobs_lock);
+		spin_lock(&c->jobs_lock);
 		list_add_tail(&job->list, &c->jobs);
-		mutex_unlock(&c->jobs_lock);
+		spin_unlock(&c->jobs_lock);
 	} else {
 		err = -ETIMEDOUT;
 		goto err_free_job;
@@ -1898,14 +1898,14 @@ static void gk20a_channel_clean_up_jobs(struct work_struct *work)
 	while (1) {
 		bool completed;
 
-		mutex_lock(&c->jobs_lock);
+		spin_lock(&c->jobs_lock);
 		if (list_empty(&c->jobs)) {
-			mutex_unlock(&c->jobs_lock);
+			spin_unlock(&c->jobs_lock);
 			break;
 		}
 		job = list_first_entry(&c->jobs,
 				       struct channel_gk20a_job, list);
-		mutex_unlock(&c->jobs_lock);
+		spin_unlock(&c->jobs_lock);
 
 		completed = gk20a_fence_is_expired(job->post_fence);
 		if (!completed) {
@@ -1948,9 +1948,9 @@ static void gk20a_channel_clean_up_jobs(struct work_struct *work)
 		 * so this wouldn't get freed here. */
 		gk20a_channel_put(c);
 
-		mutex_lock(&c->jobs_lock);
+		spin_lock(&c->jobs_lock);
 		list_del_init(&job->list);
-		mutex_unlock(&c->jobs_lock);
+		spin_unlock(&c->jobs_lock);
 
 		kfree(job);
 		job_finished = 1;
@@ -2331,7 +2331,7 @@ int gk20a_init_channel_support(struct gk20a *g, u32 chid)
 	c->referenceable = false;
 	init_waitqueue_head(&c->ref_count_dec_wq);
 	mutex_init(&c->ioctl_lock);
-	mutex_init(&c->jobs_lock);
+	spin_lock_init(&c->jobs_lock);
 	mutex_init(&c->last_submit.fence_lock);
 	mutex_init(&c->timeout.lock);
 	mutex_init(&c->sync_lock);
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/channel_gk20a.h b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/channel_gk20a.h
index 6469603bc..4b2019dd9 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/channel_gk20a.h
+++ b/drivers/gpu/nvgpu/gk20a/channel_gk20a.h
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ struct channel_gk20a {
 	struct list_head ch_entry; /* channel's entry in TSG */
 
 	struct list_head jobs;
-	struct mutex jobs_lock;
+	spinlock_t jobs_lock;
 
 	struct vm_gk20a *vm;