diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-tests-fabric.yml b/.github/workflows/ci-tests-fabric.yml
index abfe0e4e8881a..615633c5311bf 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci-tests-fabric.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci-tests-fabric.yml
@@ -62,7 +62,6 @@ jobs:
     env:
       PACKAGE_NAME: ${{ matrix.config.pkg-name }}
       FREEZE_REQUIREMENTS: ${{ ! (github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' || startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/heads/release/')) }}
-      PYPI_CACHE_DIR: "_pip-wheels"
       TORCH_URL_STABLE: "https://download.pytorch.org/whl/cpu/"
       TORCH_URL_TEST: "https://download.pytorch.org/whl/test/cpu/"
       # TODO: Remove this - Enable running MPS tests on this platform
@@ -70,41 +69,50 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v5
 
-      - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.config.python-version }}
-        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+      - name: Install uv and set Python version
+        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v6
         with:
           python-version: ${{ matrix.config.python-version || '3.9' }}
+          # TODO: Avoid activating environment like this
+          # see: https://github.com/astral-sh/setup-uv/tree/v6/?tab=readme-ov-file#activate-environment
+          activate-environment: true
+          enable-cache: true
 
-      - name: basic setup
-        run: pip install -q -r .actions/requirements.txt
+      - name: Basic setup
+        run: uv pip install -q -r .actions/requirements.txt
+
+      - name: Append Env. vars for Linux
+        if: ${{ runner.os == 'Linux' }}
+        run: echo "GLOO_SOCKET_IFNAME=eth0" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+      - name: Append Env. vars for MacOS
+        if: ${{ runner.os == 'macOS' }}
+        run: echo "GLOO_SOCKET_IFNAME=lo0" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+      - name: Append Env. vars for Windows
+        if: ${{ runner.os == 'windows' }}
+        run: |
+          # Avoid issue on Windows with PyTorch 2.4: "RuntimeError: use_libuv was requested but PyTorch was build without libuv support"
+          echo "USE_LIBUV=0" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
       - name: Set min. dependencies
         if: ${{ matrix.config.requires == 'oldest' }}
         run: |
           cd requirements/fabric
-          pip install -U "lightning-utilities[cli]"
+          uv pip install -U "lightning-utilities[cli]"
           python -m lightning_utilities.cli requirements set-oldest --req_files "['base.txt', 'strategies.txt', 'test.txt']"
-          pip install "cython<3.0" wheel
-          pip install "pyyaml==5.4" --no-build-isolation
+          uv pip install "cython<3.0" wheel
+          uv pip install "pyyaml==5.4" --no-build-isolation
 
       - name: Adjust PyTorch versions in requirements files
         if: ${{ matrix.config.requires != 'oldest' }}
         run: |
-          pip install -q -r requirements/ci.txt
+          uv pip install -q -r requirements/ci.txt
           python -m wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Lightning-AI/utilities/main/scripts/adjust-torch-versions.py
           for fpath in `ls requirements/**/*.txt`; do \
             python ./adjust-torch-versions.py $fpath ${{ matrix.config.pytorch-version }}; \
           done
 
-      - name: pip wheels cache
-        uses: actions/cache/restore@v4
-        with:
-          path: ${{ env.PYPI_CACHE_DIR }}
-          key: pypi_wheels
-      - run: |
-          mkdir -p $PYPI_CACHE_DIR
-          ls -lh $PYPI_CACHE_DIR
-
       - name: Expand Env. variables
         run: |
           # Switch PyTorch URL between stable and test/future
@@ -113,25 +121,15 @@ jobs:
           python -c "print('COVERAGE_SCOPE=' + str('lightning' if '${{matrix.config.pkg-name}}' == 'lightning' else 'lightning_fabric'))" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           # if you install mono-package set dependency only for this subpackage
           python -c "print('EXTRA_PREFIX=' + str('' if '${{matrix.config.pkg-name}}' != 'lightning' else 'fabric-'))" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-      - name: Append Env. vars for MacOS
-        if: ${{ runner.os == 'macOS' }}
-        run: |
-          # trying to avoid "gloo" issue with SIGABRT
-          echo "GLOO_SOCKET_IFNAME=lo0" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-      - name: Append Env. vars for Windows
-        if: ${{ runner.os == 'windows' }}
-        run: |
-          # Avoid issue on Windows with PyTorch 2.4: "RuntimeError: use_libuv was requested but PyTorch was build without libuv support"
-          echo "USE_LIBUV=0" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
       - name: Install package & dependencies
         timeout-minutes: 20
         run: |
-          pip install -e ".[${EXTRA_PREFIX}test,${EXTRA_PREFIX}strategies]" \
-            -U --upgrade-strategy=eager --prefer-binary \
-            --extra-index-url="${TORCH_URL}" \
-            --find-links="${PYPI_CACHE_DIR}"
-          pip list
+          uv pip install ".[${EXTRA_PREFIX}test,${EXTRA_PREFIX}strategies]" \
+            --upgrade \
+            --find-links="${TORCH_URL}"
+          uv pip list
+
       - name: Dump handy wheels
         if: github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/master'
         continue-on-error: true
@@ -179,6 +177,9 @@ jobs:
           name: CPU-coverage
           fail_ci_if_error: false
 
+      - name: Minimize uv cache
+        run: uv cache prune --ci
+
   fabric-cpu-guardian:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     needs: fabric-cpu
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-tests-pytorch.yml b/.github/workflows/ci-tests-pytorch.yml
index 86f0a58089481..e6ec0b3072d91 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci-tests-pytorch.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci-tests-pytorch.yml
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Append Env. vars for Linux
         if: ${{ runner.os == 'Linux' }}
         run: echo "GLOO_SOCKET_IFNAME=eth0" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
       - name: Append Env. vars for MacOS
         if: ${{ runner.os == 'macOS' }}
         run: echo "GLOO_SOCKET_IFNAME=lo0" >> $GITHUB_ENV