diff --git a/arch/x86/mm/gup.c b/arch/x86/mm/gup.c
index 06f56fcf9a77..269aa53932e0 100644
--- a/arch/x86/mm/gup.c
+++ b/arch/x86/mm/gup.c
@@ -160,7 +160,18 @@ static int gup_pmd_range(pud_t pud, unsigned long addr, unsigned long end,
 		pmd_t pmd = *pmdp;
 
 		next = pmd_addr_end(addr, end);
-		if (pmd_none(pmd))
+		/*
+		 * The pmd_trans_splitting() check below explains why
+		 * pmdp_splitting_flush has to flush the tlb, to stop
+		 * this gup-fast code from running while we set the
+		 * splitting bit in the pmd. Returning zero will take
+		 * the slow path that will call wait_split_huge_page()
+		 * if the pmd is still in splitting state. gup-fast
+		 * can't because it has irq disabled and
+		 * wait_split_huge_page() would never return as the
+		 * tlb flush IPI wouldn't run.
+		 */
+		if (pmd_none(pmd) || pmd_trans_splitting(pmd))
 			return 0;
 		if (unlikely(pmd_large(pmd))) {
 			if (!gup_huge_pmd(pmd, addr, next, write, pages, nr))