diff --git a/ggml-quants.c b/ggml-quants.c
index 3f2ed0a5f..a24b4b244 100644
--- a/ggml-quants.c
+++ b/ggml-quants.c
@@ -7605,36 +7605,53 @@ void ggml_vec_dot_iq2_xs_q8_K(const int n, float * restrict s, const void * rest
 
 #elif defined(__AVX2__)
 
+    const __m128i m4 = _mm_set1_epi8(0xf);
+    const __m128i m1 = _mm_set1_epi8(1);
+    const __m128i m511 = _mm_set1_epi16(511);
+    const __m128i m127 = _mm_set1_epi16(127);
+
     const uint64_t * signs64 = (const uint64_t *)keven_signs_q2xs;
 
+    uint64_t aux64;
+
+    // somewhat hacky, but gives a significant boost in performance
+    __m128i aux_gindex, aux_sindex;
+    const uint16_t * gindex = (const uint16_t *)&aux_gindex;
+    const uint16_t * sindex = (const uint16_t *)&aux_sindex;
+
     __m256 accumf = _mm256_setzero_ps();
     for (int i = 0; i < nb; ++i) {
         const float d = GGML_FP16_TO_FP32(x[i].d) * y[i].d;
         const uint16_t * restrict q2 = x[i].qs;
-        const uint8_t  * restrict sc = x[i].scales;
         const int8_t   * restrict q8 = y[i].qs;
+
+        memcpy(&aux64, x[i].scales, 8);
+        __m128i stmp = _mm_set1_epi64x(aux64);
+        stmp = _mm_unpacklo_epi8(_mm_and_si128(stmp, m4), _mm_and_si128(_mm_srli_epi16(stmp, 4), m4));
+        const __m128i scales = _mm_add_epi8(_mm_slli_epi16(stmp, 1), m1);
+
         __m256i sumi1 = _mm256_setzero_si256();
         __m256i sumi2 = _mm256_setzero_si256();
         for (int ib32 = 0; ib32 < QK_K/32; ib32 += 2) {
             const __m256i q8_1 = _mm256_loadu_si256((const __m256i *)q8); q8 += 32;
             const __m256i q8_2 = _mm256_loadu_si256((const __m256i *)q8); q8 += 32;
-            const __m256i q2_1 = _mm256_set_epi64x(iq2xs_grid[q2[3] & 511], iq2xs_grid[q2[2] & 511], iq2xs_grid[q2[1] & 511], iq2xs_grid[q2[0] & 511]);
-            const __m256i q2_2 = _mm256_set_epi64x(iq2xs_grid[q2[7] & 511], iq2xs_grid[q2[6] & 511], iq2xs_grid[q2[5] & 511], iq2xs_grid[q2[4] & 511]);
-            const __m256i s2_1 = _mm256_set_epi64x(signs64[q2[3] >> 9], signs64[q2[2] >> 9], signs64[q2[1] >> 9], signs64[q2[0] >> 9]);
-            const __m256i s2_2 = _mm256_set_epi64x(signs64[q2[7] >> 9], signs64[q2[6] >> 9], signs64[q2[5] >> 9], signs64[q2[4] >> 9]);
+            const __m128i q2_data = _mm_loadu_si128((const __m128i*)q2);  q2 +=  8;
+            aux_gindex = _mm_and_si128(q2_data, m511);
+            aux_sindex = _mm_and_si128(_mm_srli_epi16(q2_data, 9), m127);
+            const __m256i q2_1 = _mm256_set_epi64x(iq2xs_grid[gindex[3]], iq2xs_grid[gindex[2]], iq2xs_grid[gindex[1]], iq2xs_grid[gindex[0]]);
+            const __m256i q2_2 = _mm256_set_epi64x(iq2xs_grid[gindex[7]], iq2xs_grid[gindex[6]], iq2xs_grid[gindex[5]], iq2xs_grid[gindex[4]]);
+            const __m256i s2_1 = _mm256_set_epi64x(signs64[sindex[3]], signs64[sindex[2]], signs64[sindex[1]], signs64[sindex[0]]);
+            const __m256i s2_2 = _mm256_set_epi64x(signs64[sindex[7]], signs64[sindex[6]], signs64[sindex[5]], signs64[sindex[4]]);
             const __m256i q8s_1 = _mm256_sign_epi8(q8_1, s2_1);
             const __m256i q8s_2 = _mm256_sign_epi8(q8_2, s2_2);
             const __m256i dot1  = _mm256_maddubs_epi16(q2_1, q8s_1);
             const __m256i dot2  = _mm256_maddubs_epi16(q2_2, q8s_2);
 
-            const uint16_t ls1 = 2*(sc[0] & 0xf) + 1, ls2 = 2*(sc[0] >> 4) + 1;
-            const uint16_t ls3 = 2*(sc[1] & 0xf) + 1, ls4 = 2*(sc[1] >> 4) + 1;
-            const __m256i p1 = _mm256_madd_epi16(dot1, MM256_SET_M128I(_mm_set1_epi16(ls2), _mm_set1_epi16(ls1)));
-            const __m256i p2 = _mm256_madd_epi16(dot2, MM256_SET_M128I(_mm_set1_epi16(ls4), _mm_set1_epi16(ls3)));
-            sumi1 = _mm256_add_epi32(sumi1, p1);
-            sumi2 = _mm256_add_epi32(sumi2, p2);
-            q2 += 8;
-            sc += 2;
+            const __m256i sc1 = _mm256_cvtepi8_epi16(_mm_shuffle_epi8(scales, get_scale_shuffle(ib32+0)));
+            const __m256i sc2 = _mm256_cvtepi8_epi16(_mm_shuffle_epi8(scales, get_scale_shuffle(ib32+1)));
+
+            sumi1 = _mm256_add_epi32(sumi1, _mm256_madd_epi16(dot1, sc1));
+            sumi2 = _mm256_add_epi32(sumi2, _mm256_madd_epi16(dot2, sc2));
         }
 
         accumf = _mm256_fmadd_ps(_mm256_set1_ps(d), _mm256_cvtepi32_ps(_mm256_add_epi32(sumi1, sumi2)), accumf);