diff --git a/dashboard/app/aidb/crud.go b/dashboard/app/aidb/crud.go
index 4b73a5c0ae20..424f376ee1fd 100644
--- a/dashboard/app/aidb/crud.go
+++ b/dashboard/app/aidb/crud.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"reflect"
 	"strings"
+	"sync"
 	"time"
 
 	"cloud.google.com/go/spanner"
@@ -67,7 +68,6 @@ func UpdateWorkflows(ctx context.Context, active []dashapi.AIWorkflow) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	defer client.Close()
 	_, err = client.Apply(ctx, mutations)
 	return err
 }
@@ -109,7 +109,6 @@ func StartJob(ctx context.Context, req *dashapi.AIJobPollReq) (*Job, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	defer client.Close()
 	var job *Job
 	_, err = client.ReadWriteTransaction(ctx, func(ctx context.Context, txn *spanner.ReadWriteTransaction) error {
 		{
@@ -171,7 +170,6 @@ func StoreTrajectorySpan(ctx context.Context, jobID string, span *trajectory.Spa
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	defer client.Close()
 	ent := TrajectorySpan{
 		JobID:                jobID,
 		Seq:                  int64(span.Seq),
@@ -214,7 +212,6 @@ func selectAll[T any](ctx context.Context, stmt spanner.Statement) ([]*T, error)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	defer client.Close()
 	iter := client.Single().Query(ctx, stmt)
 	defer iter.Stop()
 	var items []*T
@@ -236,17 +233,37 @@ func selectOne[T any](ctx context.Context, stmt spanner.Statement) (*T, error) {
 	return all[0], nil
 }
 
+var clients sync.Map // map[string]*spanner.Client
+
 func dbClient(ctx context.Context) (*spanner.Client, error) {
+	appID := appengine.AppID(ctx)
+	if v, ok := clients.Load(appID); ok {
+		return v.(*spanner.Client), nil
+	}
 	path := fmt.Sprintf("projects/%v/instances/%v/databases/%v",
-		appengine.AppID(ctx), Instance, Database)
-	// TODO(dvyukov): create a persistent client with a pool of connections for prod,
-	// but keep transient/per-test clients for tests.
-	return spanner.NewClientWithConfig(ctx, path, spanner.ClientConfig{
+		appID, Instance, Database)
+	// We use background context for the client, so that it survives the request.
+	client, err := spanner.NewClientWithConfig(context.Background(), path, spanner.ClientConfig{
 		SessionPoolConfig: spanner.SessionPoolConfig{
 			MinOpened: 1,
-			MaxOpened: 1,
+			MaxOpened: 20,
 		},
 	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	if actual, loaded := clients.LoadOrStore(appID, client); loaded {
+		client.Close()
+		return actual.(*spanner.Client), nil
+	}
+	return client, nil
+}
+
+func CloseClient(ctx context.Context) {
+	appID := appengine.AppID(ctx)
+	if v, ok := clients.LoadAndDelete(appID); ok {
+		v.(*spanner.Client).Close()
+	}
 }
 
 var TimeNow = func(ctx context.Context) time.Time {
diff --git a/dashboard/app/util_test.go b/dashboard/app/util_test.go
index ef6abf5f9949..d2862bd220d3 100644
--- a/dashboard/app/util_test.go
+++ b/dashboard/app/util_test.go
@@ -301,6 +301,7 @@ func (ctx *Ctx) Close() {
 			}
 		}
 	}
+	aidb.CloseClient(ctx.ctx)
 	unregisterContext(ctx)
 	validateGlobalConfig()
 }