diff --git a/releasenotes/notes/neutron-ovs-powervm-116662f169e17175.yaml b/releasenotes/notes/neutron-ovs-powervm-116662f169e17175.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3150d169
--- /dev/null
+++ b/releasenotes/notes/neutron-ovs-powervm-116662f169e17175.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+---
+features:
+  - |
+    The ``os_neutron`` role will now default to the OVS firewall driver when
+    ``neutron_plugin_type`` is ``ml2.ovs`` and the host is running Ubuntu
+    16.04 on PowerVM. To override this default behavior, deployers should
+    define ``neutron_ml2_conf_ini_overrides`` and
+    'neutron_openvswitch_agent_ini_overrides' in 'user_variables.yml'. Example
+    below
+
+    ::
+
+      neutron_ml2_conf_ini_overrides:
+        securitygroup:
+          firewall_driver: neutron.agent.linux.iptables_firewall.OVSHybridIptablesFirewallDriver
+      neutron_openvswitch_agent_ini_overrides:
+        securitygroup:
+          firewall_driver: iptables_hybrid
diff --git a/tasks/main.yml b/tasks/main.yml
index 520b3332..568653bd 100644
--- a/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/tasks/main.yml
@@ -36,6 +36,32 @@
   tags:
     - always
 
+- name: Get CPU info content and store as var
+  shell: cat /proc/cpuinfo
+  register: cpuinfo_contents
+  changed_when: false
+  failed_when: false
+  tags:
+    - always
+
+- name: Set neutron target platform type
+  set_fact:
+    neutron_os_type: "powervm"
+  when:
+    - cpuinfo_contents.stdout.find('pSeries') != -1
+    - ansible_architecture == 'ppc64le'
+  tags:
+    - always
+
+- include: neutron_ml2_ovs_powervm.yml
+  when:
+    - neutron_os_type is defined
+    - neutron_os_type == 'powervm'
+    - neutron_plugin_type == 'ml2.ovs'
+    - "{{ ansible_distribution_version | version_compare('16.04','>=') }}"
+  tags:
+    - neutron-config
+
 - include: neutron_check.yml
   tags:
     - always
diff --git a/tasks/neutron_ml2_ovs_powervm.yml b/tasks/neutron_ml2_ovs_powervm.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..871befbc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tasks/neutron_ml2_ovs_powervm.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+---
+# Copyright 2016, IBM Corp.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+- name: Override neutron ovs driver firewall type
+  set_fact:
+    neutron_ml2_conf_ini_overrides:
+      securitygroup:
+        firewall_driver: "openvswitch"
+
+- name: Override neutron ovs driver firewall
+  set_fact:
+    neutron_openvswitch_agent_ini_overrides:
+      securitygroup:
+        firewall_driver: "neutron.agent.linux.openvswitch_firewall.OVSFirewallDriver"