diff --git a/include/linux/memblock.h b/include/linux/memblock.h
index 413623dc96a3..5ba52a7878a0 100644
--- a/include/linux/memblock.h
+++ b/include/linux/memblock.h
@@ -268,6 +268,22 @@ void __next_mem_pfn_range_in_zone(u64 *idx, struct zone *zone,
 	     __next_mem_pfn_range_in_zone(&i, zone, p_start, p_end);	\
 	     i != (u64)ULLONG_MAX;					\
 	     __next_mem_pfn_range_in_zone(&i, zone, p_start, p_end))
+
+/**
+ * for_each_free_mem_range_in_zone_from - iterate through zone specific
+ * free memblock areas from a given point
+ * @i: u64 used as loop variable
+ * @zone: zone in which all of the memory blocks reside
+ * @p_start: ptr to phys_addr_t for start address of the range, can be %NULL
+ * @p_end: ptr to phys_addr_t for end address of the range, can be %NULL
+ *
+ * Walks over free (memory && !reserved) areas of memblock in a specific
+ * zone, continuing from current position. Available as soon as memblock is
+ * initialized.
+ */
+#define for_each_free_mem_pfn_range_in_zone_from(i, zone, p_start, p_end) \
+	for (; i != (u64)ULLONG_MAX;					  \
+	     __next_mem_pfn_range_in_zone(&i, zone, p_start, p_end))
 #endif /* CONFIG_DEFERRED_STRUCT_PAGE_INIT */
 
 /**
diff --git a/mm/page_alloc.c b/mm/page_alloc.c
index 5cfd3ebe10d1..3466a01ed90a 100644
--- a/mm/page_alloc.c
+++ b/mm/page_alloc.c
@@ -1512,16 +1512,102 @@ static unsigned long  __init deferred_init_pages(struct zone *zone,
 	return (nr_pages);
 }
 
+/*
+ * This function is meant to pre-load the iterator for the zone init.
+ * Specifically it walks through the ranges until we are caught up to the
+ * first_init_pfn value and exits there. If we never encounter the value we
+ * return false indicating there are no valid ranges left.
+ */
+static bool __init
+deferred_init_mem_pfn_range_in_zone(u64 *i, struct zone *zone,
+				    unsigned long *spfn, unsigned long *epfn,
+				    unsigned long first_init_pfn)
+{
+	u64 j;
+
+	/*
+	 * Start out by walking through the ranges in this zone that have
+	 * already been initialized. We don't need to do anything with them
+	 * so we just need to flush them out of the system.
+	 */
+	for_each_free_mem_pfn_range_in_zone(j, zone, spfn, epfn) {
+		if (*epfn <= first_init_pfn)
+			continue;
+		if (*spfn < first_init_pfn)
+			*spfn = first_init_pfn;
+		*i = j;
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	return false;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Initialize and free pages. We do it in two loops: first we initialize
+ * struct page, than free to buddy allocator, because while we are
+ * freeing pages we can access pages that are ahead (computing buddy
+ * page in __free_one_page()).
+ *
+ * In order to try and keep some memory in the cache we have the loop
+ * broken along max page order boundaries. This way we will not cause
+ * any issues with the buddy page computation.
+ */
+static unsigned long __init
+deferred_init_maxorder(u64 *i, struct zone *zone, unsigned long *start_pfn,
+		       unsigned long *end_pfn)
+{
+	unsigned long mo_pfn = ALIGN(*start_pfn + 1, MAX_ORDER_NR_PAGES);
+	unsigned long spfn = *start_pfn, epfn = *end_pfn;
+	unsigned long nr_pages = 0;
+	u64 j = *i;
+
+	/* First we loop through and initialize the page values */
+	for_each_free_mem_pfn_range_in_zone_from(j, zone, &spfn, &epfn) {
+		unsigned long t;
+
+		if (mo_pfn <= spfn)
+			break;
+
+		t = min(mo_pfn, epfn);
+		nr_pages += deferred_init_pages(zone, spfn, t);
+
+		if (mo_pfn <= epfn)
+			break;
+	}
+
+	/* Reset values and now loop through freeing pages as needed */
+	j = *i;
+
+	for_each_free_mem_pfn_range_in_zone_from(j, zone, start_pfn, end_pfn) {
+		unsigned long t;
+
+		if (mo_pfn <= *start_pfn)
+			break;
+
+		t = min(mo_pfn, *end_pfn);
+		deferred_free_pages(*start_pfn, t);
+		*start_pfn = t;
+
+		if (mo_pfn < *end_pfn)
+			break;
+	}
+
+	/* Store our current values to be reused on the next iteration */
+	*i = j;
+
+	return nr_pages;
+}
+
 /* Initialise remaining memory on a node */
 static int __init deferred_init_memmap(void *data)
 {
 	pg_data_t *pgdat = data;
+	const struct cpumask *cpumask = cpumask_of_node(pgdat->node_id);
+	unsigned long spfn = 0, epfn = 0, nr_pages = 0;
+	unsigned long first_init_pfn, flags;
 	unsigned long start = jiffies;
-	unsigned long nr_pages = 0;
-	unsigned long spfn, epfn, first_init_pfn, flags;
-	int zid;
 	struct zone *zone;
-	const struct cpumask *cpumask = cpumask_of_node(pgdat->node_id);
+	int zid;
 	u64 i;
 
 	/* Bind memory initialisation thread to a local node if possible */
@@ -1547,22 +1633,23 @@ static int __init deferred_init_memmap(void *data)
 		if (first_init_pfn < zone_end_pfn(zone))
 			break;
 	}
-	first_init_pfn = max(zone->zone_start_pfn, first_init_pfn);
+
+	/* If the zone is empty somebody else may have cleared out the zone */
+	if (!deferred_init_mem_pfn_range_in_zone(&i, zone, &spfn, &epfn,
+						 first_init_pfn)) {
+		pgdat_resize_unlock(pgdat, &flags);
+		pgdat_init_report_one_done();
+		return 0;
+	}
 
 	/*
-	 * Initialize and free pages. We do it in two loops: first we initialize
-	 * struct page, than free to buddy allocator, because while we are
-	 * freeing pages we can access pages that are ahead (computing buddy
-	 * page in __free_one_page()).
+	 * Initialize and free pages in MAX_ORDER sized increments so
+	 * that we can avoid introducing any issues with the buddy
+	 * allocator.
 	 */
-	for_each_free_mem_pfn_range_in_zone(i, zone, &spfn, &epfn) {
-		spfn = max_t(unsigned long, first_init_pfn, spfn);
-		nr_pages += deferred_init_pages(zone, spfn, epfn);
-	}
-	for_each_free_mem_pfn_range_in_zone(i, zone, &spfn, &epfn) {
-		spfn = max_t(unsigned long, first_init_pfn, spfn);
-		deferred_free_pages(spfn, epfn);
-	}
+	while (spfn < epfn)
+		nr_pages += deferred_init_maxorder(&i, zone, &spfn, &epfn);
+
 	pgdat_resize_unlock(pgdat, &flags);
 
 	/* Sanity check that the next zone really is unpopulated */
@@ -1602,9 +1689,9 @@ deferred_grow_zone(struct zone *zone, unsigned int order)
 {
 	unsigned long nr_pages_needed = ALIGN(1 << order, PAGES_PER_SECTION);
 	pg_data_t *pgdat = zone->zone_pgdat;
-	unsigned long nr_pages = 0;
-	unsigned long first_init_pfn, spfn, epfn, t, flags;
 	unsigned long first_deferred_pfn = pgdat->first_deferred_pfn;
+	unsigned long spfn, epfn, flags;
+	unsigned long nr_pages = 0;
 	u64 i;
 
 	/* Only the last zone may have deferred pages */
@@ -1633,36 +1720,23 @@ deferred_grow_zone(struct zone *zone, unsigned int order)
 		return true;
 	}
 
-	first_init_pfn = max(zone->zone_start_pfn, first_deferred_pfn);
-
-	if (first_init_pfn >= pgdat_end_pfn(pgdat)) {
+	/* If the zone is empty somebody else may have cleared out the zone */
+	if (!deferred_init_mem_pfn_range_in_zone(&i, zone, &spfn, &epfn,
+						 first_deferred_pfn)) {
 		pgdat_resize_unlock(pgdat, &flags);
-		return false;
+		return true;
 	}
 
-	for_each_free_mem_pfn_range_in_zone(i, zone, &spfn, &epfn) {
-		spfn = max_t(unsigned long, first_init_pfn, spfn);
-
-		while (spfn < epfn && nr_pages < nr_pages_needed) {
-			t = ALIGN(spfn + PAGES_PER_SECTION, PAGES_PER_SECTION);
-			first_deferred_pfn = min(t, epfn);
-			nr_pages += deferred_init_pages(zone, spfn,
-							first_deferred_pfn);
-			spfn = first_deferred_pfn;
-		}
-
-		if (nr_pages >= nr_pages_needed)
-			break;
+	/*
+	 * Initialize and free pages in MAX_ORDER sized increments so
+	 * that we can avoid introducing any issues with the buddy
+	 * allocator.
+	 */
+	while (spfn < epfn && nr_pages < nr_pages_needed) {
+		nr_pages += deferred_init_maxorder(&i, zone, &spfn, &epfn);
+		first_deferred_pfn = spfn;
 	}
 
-	for_each_free_mem_pfn_range_in_zone(i, zone, &spfn, &epfn) {
-		spfn = max_t(unsigned long, first_init_pfn, spfn);
-		epfn = min_t(unsigned long, first_deferred_pfn, epfn);
-		deferred_free_pages(spfn, epfn);
-
-		if (first_deferred_pfn == epfn)
-			break;
-	}
 	pgdat->first_deferred_pfn = first_deferred_pfn;
 	pgdat_resize_unlock(pgdat, &flags);
 
