You are currently in the process of training a machine learning model for object detection. Your dataset comprises approximately three million X-ray images, each with an approximate size of 2 GB. You have set up the training process using Vertex AI Training, utilizing a Compute Engine instance equipped with 32 cores, 128 GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA P100 GPU. However, you've observed that the model training process is taking an extended period. Your objective is to reduce the training time without compromising the model's performance. What steps should you take to achieve this?