diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/i40e/i40e_txrx.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/i40e/i40e_txrx.c
index dbd2bcae763de75afd3c98176d9bc0aab7f86fbd..7371df7b6fb0ce6495878052f0a6f2c49ca1c7a1 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/i40e/i40e_txrx.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/i40e/i40e_txrx.c
@@ -2806,6 +2806,9 @@ static netdev_tx_t i40e_xmit_frame_ring(struct sk_buff *skb,
 	int tsyn;
 	int tso;
 
+	/* prefetch the data, we'll need it later */
+	prefetch(skb->data);
+
 	if (0 == i40e_xmit_descriptor_count(skb, tx_ring))
 		return NETDEV_TX_BUSY;
 
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/i40evf/i40e_txrx.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/i40evf/i40e_txrx.c
index 23fd11243583fad55c8e7e2c0151fe5f55c48de0..0f1a4ef5e3be43b1b160d4b73cd2d835154611c5 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/i40evf/i40e_txrx.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/i40evf/i40e_txrx.c
@@ -1993,6 +1993,9 @@ static netdev_tx_t i40e_xmit_frame_ring(struct sk_buff *skb,
 	u8 hdr_len = 0;
 	int tso;
 
+	/* prefetch the data, we'll need it later */
+	prefetch(skb->data);
+
 	if (0 == i40evf_xmit_descriptor_count(skb, tx_ring))
 		return NETDEV_TX_BUSY;