diff --git a/chain/store/index.go b/chain/store/index.go
index 620cb2dee..5807a2705 100644
--- a/chain/store/index.go
+++ b/chain/store/index.go
@@ -2,18 +2,21 @@ package store
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"hash/maphash"
 	"os"
 	"strconv"
-	"sync"
 
+	"github.com/puzpuzpuz/xsync/v2"
 	"golang.org/x/xerrors"
 
 	"github.com/filecoin-project/go-state-types/abi"
 
 	"github.com/filecoin-project/lotus/chain/types"
+	"github.com/filecoin-project/lotus/lib/shardedmutex"
 )
 
-var DefaultChainIndexCacheSize = 32 << 15
+// DefaultChainIndexCacheSize no longer sets the maximum size, just the inital size of the map.
+var DefaultChainIndexCacheSize = 1 << 15
 
 func init() {
 	if s := os.Getenv("LOTUS_CHAIN_INDEX_CACHE"); s != "" {
@@ -27,8 +30,9 @@ func init() {
 }
 
 type ChainIndex struct {
-	indexCacheLk sync.Mutex
-	indexCache   map[types.TipSetKey]*lbEntry
+	indexCache *xsync.MapOf[types.TipSetKey, *lbEntry]
+
+	fillCacheLock shardedmutex.ShardedMutexFor[types.TipSetKey]
 
 	loadTipSet loadTipSetFunc
 
@@ -36,11 +40,16 @@ type ChainIndex struct {
 }
 type loadTipSetFunc func(context.Context, types.TipSetKey) (*types.TipSet, error)
 
+func maphashTSK(s maphash.Seed, tsk types.TipSetKey) uint64 {
+	return maphash.Bytes(s, tsk.Bytes())
+}
+
 func NewChainIndex(lts loadTipSetFunc) *ChainIndex {
 	return &ChainIndex{
-		indexCache: make(map[types.TipSetKey]*lbEntry, DefaultChainIndexCacheSize),
-		loadTipSet: lts,
-		skipLength: 20,
+		indexCache:    xsync.NewTypedMapOfPresized[types.TipSetKey, *lbEntry](maphashTSK, DefaultChainIndexCacheSize),
+		fillCacheLock: shardedmutex.NewFor(maphashTSK, 32),
+		loadTipSet:    lts,
+		skipLength:    20,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -59,17 +68,23 @@ func (ci *ChainIndex) GetTipsetByHeight(ctx context.Context, from *types.TipSet,
 		return nil, xerrors.Errorf("failed to round down: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	ci.indexCacheLk.Lock()
-	defer ci.indexCacheLk.Unlock()
 	cur := rounded.Key()
 	for {
-		lbe, ok := ci.indexCache[cur]
+		lbe, ok := ci.indexCache.Load(cur) // check the cache
 		if !ok {
-			fc, err := ci.fillCache(ctx, cur)
-			if err != nil {
-				return nil, xerrors.Errorf("failed to fill cache: %w", err)
+			lk := ci.fillCacheLock.GetLock(cur)
+			lk.Lock()                         // if entry is missing, take the lock
+			lbe, ok = ci.indexCache.Load(cur) // check if someone else added it while we waited for lock
+			if !ok {
+				fc, err := ci.fillCache(ctx, cur)
+				if err != nil {
+					lk.Unlock()
+					return nil, xerrors.Errorf("failed to fill cache: %w", err)
+				}
+				lbe = fc
+				ci.indexCache.Store(cur, lbe)
 			}
-			lbe = fc
+			lk.Unlock()
 		}
 
 		if to == lbe.targetHeight {
@@ -137,7 +152,6 @@ func (ci *ChainIndex) fillCache(ctx context.Context, tsk types.TipSetKey) (*lbEn
 		targetHeight: skipTarget.Height(),
 		target:       skipTarget.Key(),
 	}
-	ci.indexCache[tsk] = lbe
 
 	return lbe, nil
 }
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index d190323f2..f19c6d3ca 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -139,6 +139,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/open-rpc/meta-schema v0.0.0-20201029221707-1b72ef2ea333
 	github.com/polydawn/refmt v0.89.0
 	github.com/prometheus/client_golang v1.14.0
+	github.com/puzpuzpuz/xsync/v2 v2.4.0
 	github.com/raulk/clock v1.1.0
 	github.com/raulk/go-watchdog v1.3.0
 	github.com/stretchr/testify v1.8.2
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 80dcf1433..0a423f8a9 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -1484,6 +1484,8 @@ github.com/prometheus/procfs v0.8.0 h1:ODq8ZFEaYeCaZOJlZZdJA2AbQR98dSHSM1KW/You5
 github.com/prometheus/procfs v0.8.0/go.mod h1:z7EfXMXOkbkqb9IINtpCn86r/to3BnA0uaxHdg830/4=
 github.com/prometheus/statsd_exporter v0.21.0 h1:hA05Q5RFeIjgwKIYEdFd59xu5Wwaznf33yKI+pyX6T8=
 github.com/prometheus/statsd_exporter v0.21.0/go.mod h1:rbT83sZq2V+p73lHhPZfMc3MLCHmSHelCh9hSGYNLTQ=
+github.com/puzpuzpuz/xsync/v2 v2.4.0 h1:5sXAMHrtx1bg9nbRZTOn8T4MkWe5V+o8yKRH02Eznag=
+github.com/puzpuzpuz/xsync/v2 v2.4.0/go.mod h1:gD2H2krq/w52MfPLE+Uy64TzJDVY7lP2znR9qmR35kU=
 github.com/quic-go/qpack v0.4.0 h1:Cr9BXA1sQS2SmDUWjSofMPNKmvF6IiIfDRmgU0w1ZCo=
 github.com/quic-go/qpack v0.4.0/go.mod h1:UZVnYIfi5GRk+zI9UMaCPsmZ2xKJP7XBUvVyT1Knj9A=
 github.com/quic-go/qtls-go1-19 v0.2.1 h1:aJcKNMkH5ASEJB9FXNeZCyTEIHU1J7MmHyz1Q1TSG1A=
diff --git a/lib/shardedmutex/shardedmutex.go b/lib/shardedmutex/shardedmutex.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..47b677f51
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/shardedmutex/shardedmutex.go
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+package shardedmutex
+
+import (
+	"hash/maphash"
+	"sync"
+)
+
+const cacheline = 64
+
+// padding a mutex to a cacheline improves performance as the cachelines are not contested
+// name     old time/op  new time/op  delta
+// Locks-8  74.6ns ± 7%  12.3ns ± 2%  -83.54%  (p=0.000 n=20+18)
+type paddedMutex struct {
+	mt  sync.Mutex
+	pad [cacheline - 8]uint8
+}
+
+type ShardedMutex struct {
+	shards []paddedMutex
+}
+
+// New creates a new ShardedMutex with N shards
+func New(n_shards int) ShardedMutex {
+	if n_shards < 1 {
+		panic("n_shards cannot be less than 1")
+	}
+	return ShardedMutex{
+		shards: make([]paddedMutex, n_shards),
+	}
+}
+
+func (sm ShardedMutex) Shards() int {
+	return len(sm.shards)
+}
+
+func (sm ShardedMutex) Lock(shard int) {
+	sm.shards[shard].mt.Lock()
+}
+
+func (sm ShardedMutex) Unlock(shard int) {
+	sm.shards[shard].mt.Unlock()
+}
+
+func (sm ShardedMutex) GetLock(shard int) sync.Locker {
+	return &sm.shards[shard].mt
+}
+
+type ShardedMutexFor[K any] struct {
+	inner ShardedMutex
+
+	hasher func(maphash.Seed, K) uint64
+	seed   maphash.Seed
+}
+
+func NewFor[K any](hasher func(maphash.Seed, K) uint64, n_shards int) ShardedMutexFor[K] {
+	return ShardedMutexFor[K]{
+		inner:  New(n_shards),
+		hasher: hasher,
+		seed:   maphash.MakeSeed(),
+	}
+}
+
+func (sm ShardedMutexFor[K]) shardFor(key K) int {
+	return int(sm.hasher(sm.seed, key) % uint64(len(sm.inner.shards)))
+}
+
+func (sm ShardedMutexFor[K]) Lock(key K) {
+	sm.inner.Lock(sm.shardFor(key))
+}
+func (sm ShardedMutexFor[K]) Unlock(key K) {
+	sm.inner.Unlock(sm.shardFor(key))
+}
+func (sm ShardedMutexFor[K]) GetLock(key K) sync.Locker {
+	return sm.inner.GetLock(sm.shardFor(key))
+}
diff --git a/lib/shardedmutex/shardedmutex_test.go b/lib/shardedmutex/shardedmutex_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a7d5f7d1d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/shardedmutex/shardedmutex_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+package shardedmutex
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"hash/maphash"
+	"runtime"
+	"sync"
+	"sync/atomic"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+func TestLockingDifferentShardsDoesNotBlock(t *testing.T) {
+	shards := 16
+	sm := New(shards)
+	done := make(chan struct{})
+	go func() {
+		select {
+		case <-done:
+			return
+		case <-time.After(5 * time.Second):
+			panic("test locked up")
+		}
+	}()
+	for i := 0; i < shards; i++ {
+		sm.Lock(i)
+	}
+
+	close(done)
+}
+func TestLockingSameShardsBlocks(t *testing.T) {
+	shards := 16
+	sm := New(shards)
+	wg := sync.WaitGroup{}
+	wg.Add(shards)
+	ch := make(chan int, shards)
+
+	for i := 0; i < shards; i++ {
+		go func(i int) {
+			if i != 15 {
+				sm.Lock(i)
+			}
+			wg.Done()
+			wg.Wait()
+			sm.Lock((15 + i) % shards)
+			ch <- i
+			sm.Unlock(i)
+		}(i)
+	}
+
+	wg.Wait()
+	for i := 0; i < 2*shards; i++ {
+		runtime.Gosched()
+	}
+	for i := 0; i < shards; i++ {
+		if a := <-ch; a != i {
+			t.Errorf("got %d instead of %d", a, i)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestShardedByString(t *testing.T) {
+	shards := 16
+	sm := NewFor(maphash.String, shards)
+
+	wg1 := sync.WaitGroup{}
+	wg1.Add(shards * 20)
+	wg2 := sync.WaitGroup{}
+	wg2.Add(shards * 20)
+
+	active := atomic.Int32{}
+	max := atomic.Int32{}
+
+	for i := 0; i < shards*20; i++ {
+		go func(i int) {
+			wg1.Done()
+			wg1.Wait()
+			sm.Lock(fmt.Sprintf("goroutine %d", i))
+			activeNew := active.Add(1)
+			for {
+				curMax := max.Load()
+				if curMax >= activeNew {
+					break
+				}
+				if max.CompareAndSwap(curMax, activeNew) {
+					break
+				}
+			}
+			for j := 0; j < 100; j++ {
+				runtime.Gosched()
+			}
+			active.Add(-1)
+			sm.Unlock(fmt.Sprintf("goroutine %d", i))
+			wg2.Done()
+		}(i)
+	}
+
+	wg2.Wait()
+
+	if max.Load() != 16 {
+		t.Fatal("max load not achieved", max.Load())
+	}
+
+}
+
+func BenchmarkShardedMutex(b *testing.B) {
+	shards := 16
+	sm := New(shards)
+
+	done := atomic.Int32{}
+	go func() {
+		for {
+			sm.Lock(0)
+			sm.Unlock(0)
+			if done.Load() != 0 {
+				return
+			}
+		}
+	}()
+	for i := 0; i < 100; i++ {
+		runtime.Gosched()
+	}
+
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		sm.Lock(1)
+		sm.Unlock(1)
+	}
+	done.Add(1)
+}
+
+func BenchmarkShardedMutexOf(b *testing.B) {
+	shards := 16
+	sm := NewFor(maphash.String, shards)
+
+	str1 := "string1"
+	str2 := "string2"
+
+	done := atomic.Int32{}
+	go func() {
+		for {
+			sm.Lock(str1)
+			sm.Unlock(str1)
+			if done.Load() != 0 {
+				return
+			}
+		}
+	}()
+	for i := 0; i < 100; i++ {
+		runtime.Gosched()
+	}
+
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		sm.Lock(str2)
+		sm.Unlock(str2)
+	}
+	done.Add(1)
+}