diff --git a/scripts/run-validation b/scripts/run-validation
index 0bf410d83..3bf01e641 100755
--- a/scripts/run-validation
+++ b/scripts/run-validation
@@ -30,6 +30,14 @@ export ANSIBLE_RETRY_FILES_ENABLED=False
 # Add `-E` to the sudo flags to preserve the shell environment. The `-H -S -n`
 # options are Ansible's default values.
 export ANSIBLE_SUDO_FLAGS="-H -S -n -E"
+# Use a fact cache to improve performance
+# The defaults from tripleo_common/actions/ansible.py cannot be used
+# beause they will clash with the 'mistral' user owning the fact cache
+# path.
+export ANSIBLE_GATHERING=smart
+export ANSIBLE_CACHE_PLUGIN=jsonfile
+export ANSIBLE_CACHE_PLUGIN_CONNECTION=~/ansible_fact_cache
+export ANSIBLE_GATHER_TIMEOUT=7200 # 7200s = 2h
 
 export ANSIBLE_PRIVATE_KEY_FILE=$IDENTITY_FILE
 
diff --git a/tripleo_common/actions/ansible.py b/tripleo_common/actions/ansible.py
index 4655db177..8fcd96972 100644
--- a/tripleo_common/actions/ansible.py
+++ b/tripleo_common/actions/ansible.py
@@ -46,6 +46,15 @@ def write_default_ansible_cfg(work_dir,
     config.set('defaults', 'timeout', '30')
     config.set('defaults', 'gather_timeout', '30')
 
+    # Setup fact cache to improve playbook execution speed
+    config.set('defaults', 'gathering', 'smart')
+    config.set('defaults', 'fact_caching', 'jsonfile')
+    config.set('defaults', 'fact_caching_connection',
+               '/var/tmp/ansible_fact_cache')
+
+    # Expire facts in the fact cache after 7200s (2h)
+    config.set('defaults', 'fact_caching_timeout', '7200')
+
     # mistral user has no home dir set, so no place to save a known hosts file
     config.set('ssh_connection', 'ssh_args',
                '-o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null '