diff --git a/include/hw/acpi/cpu.h b/include/hw/acpi/cpu.h
index 980a83c..89ce172 100644
--- a/include/hw/acpi/cpu.h
+++ b/include/hw/acpi/cpu.h
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ void cpu_hotplug_hw_init(MemoryRegion *as, Object *owner,
 
 typedef struct CPUHotplugFeatures {
     bool apci_1_compatible;
+    bool has_legacy_cphp;
 } CPUHotplugFeatures;
 
 void build_cpus_aml(Aml *table, MachineState *machine, CPUHotplugFeatures opts,
diff --git a/include/hw/acpi/cpu_hotplug.h b/include/hw/acpi/cpu_hotplug.h
index 6fef67e..b995ef2 100644
--- a/include/hw/acpi/cpu_hotplug.h
+++ b/include/hw/acpi/cpu_hotplug.h
@@ -16,8 +16,10 @@
 #include "hw/acpi/pc-hotplug.h"
 #include "hw/acpi/aml-build.h"
 #include "hw/hotplug.h"
+#include "hw/acpi/cpu.h"
 
 typedef struct AcpiCpuHotplug {
+    Object *device;
     MemoryRegion io;
     uint8_t sts[ACPI_GPE_PROC_LEN];
 } AcpiCpuHotplug;
@@ -28,6 +30,10 @@ void legacy_acpi_cpu_plug_cb(HotplugHandler *hotplug_dev,
 void legacy_acpi_cpu_hotplug_init(MemoryRegion *parent, Object *owner,
                                   AcpiCpuHotplug *gpe_cpu, uint16_t base);
 
+void acpi_switch_to_modern_cphp(AcpiCpuHotplug *gpe_cpu,
+                                CPUHotplugState *cpuhp_state,
+                                uint16_t io_port);
+
 void build_legacy_cpu_hotplug_aml(Aml *ctx, MachineState *machine,
                                   uint16_t io_base);
 #endif
diff --git a/include/hw/i386/pc.h b/include/hw/i386/pc.h
index 9e23929..884224e 100644
--- a/include/hw/i386/pc.h
+++ b/include/hw/i386/pc.h
@@ -137,6 +137,8 @@ struct PCMachineClass {
 
     /* TSC rate migration: */
     bool save_tsc_khz;
+    /* generate legacy CPU hotplug AML */
+    bool legacy_cpu_hotplug;
 };
 
 #define TYPE_PC_MACHINE "generic-pc-machine"
diff --git a/hw/acpi/cpu.c b/hw/acpi/cpu.c
index 401ac0d..c13b65c 100644
--- a/hw/acpi/cpu.c
+++ b/hw/acpi/cpu.c
@@ -373,6 +373,15 @@ void build_cpus_aml(Aml *table, MachineState *machine, CPUHotplugFeatures opts,
         aml_append(field, aml_named_field(CPU_DATA, 32));
         aml_append(cpu_ctrl_dev, field);
 
+        if (opts.has_legacy_cphp) {
+            method = aml_method("_INI", 0, AML_SERIALIZED);
+            /* switch off legacy CPU hotplug HW and use new one,
+             * on reboot system is in new mode and writing 0
+             * in CPU_SELECTOR selects BSP, which is NOP at
+             * the time _INI is called */
+            aml_append(method, aml_store(zero, aml_name(CPU_SELECTOR)));
+            aml_append(cpu_ctrl_dev, method);
+        }
     }
     aml_append(sb_scope, cpu_ctrl_dev);
 
diff --git a/hw/acpi/cpu_hotplug.c b/hw/acpi/cpu_hotplug.c
index fe75bd9..e19d902 100644
--- a/hw/acpi/cpu_hotplug.c
+++ b/hw/acpi/cpu_hotplug.c
@@ -34,7 +34,15 @@ static uint64_t cpu_status_read(void *opaque, hwaddr addr, unsigned int size)
 static void cpu_status_write(void *opaque, hwaddr addr, uint64_t data,
                              unsigned int size)
 {
-    /* TODO: implement VCPU removal on guest signal that CPU can be removed */
+    /* firmware never used to write in CPU present bitmap so use
+       this fact as means to switch QEMU into modern CPU hotplug
+       mode by writing 0 at the beginning of legacy CPU bitmap
+     */
+    if (addr == 0 && data == 0) {
+        AcpiCpuHotplug *cpus = opaque;
+        object_property_set_bool(cpus->device, false, "cpu-hotplug-legacy",
+                                 &error_abort);
+    }
 }
 
 static const MemoryRegionOps AcpiCpuHotplug_ops = {
@@ -83,6 +91,17 @@ void legacy_acpi_cpu_hotplug_init(MemoryRegion *parent, Object *owner,
     memory_region_init_io(&gpe_cpu->io, owner, &AcpiCpuHotplug_ops,
                           gpe_cpu, "acpi-cpu-hotplug", ACPI_GPE_PROC_LEN);
     memory_region_add_subregion(parent, base, &gpe_cpu->io);
+    gpe_cpu->device = owner;
+}
+
+void acpi_switch_to_modern_cphp(AcpiCpuHotplug *gpe_cpu,
+                                CPUHotplugState *cpuhp_state,
+                                uint16_t io_port)
+{
+    MemoryRegion *parent = pci_address_space_io(PCI_DEVICE(gpe_cpu->device));
+
+    memory_region_del_subregion(parent, &gpe_cpu->io);
+    cpu_hotplug_hw_init(parent, gpe_cpu->device, cpuhp_state, io_port);
 }
 
 void build_legacy_cpu_hotplug_aml(Aml *ctx, MachineState *machine,
diff --git a/hw/acpi/ich9.c b/hw/acpi/ich9.c
index d12cc62..e5a3c18 100644
--- a/hw/acpi/ich9.c
+++ b/hw/acpi/ich9.c
@@ -189,6 +189,33 @@ static const VMStateDescription vmstate_tco_io_state = {
     }
 };
 
+static bool vmstate_test_use_cpuhp(void *opaque)
+{
+    ICH9LPCPMRegs *s = opaque;
+    return !s->cpu_hotplug_legacy;
+}
+
+static int vmstate_cpuhp_pre_load(void *opaque)
+{
+    ICH9LPCPMRegs *s = opaque;
+    Object *obj = OBJECT(s->gpe_cpu.device);
+    object_property_set_bool(obj, false, "cpu-hotplug-legacy", &error_abort);
+    return 0;
+}
+
+static const VMStateDescription vmstate_cpuhp_state = {
+    .name = "ich9_pm/cpuhp",
+    .version_id = 1,
+    .minimum_version_id = 1,
+    .minimum_version_id_old = 1,
+    .needed = vmstate_test_use_cpuhp,
+    .pre_load = vmstate_cpuhp_pre_load,
+    .fields      = (VMStateField[]) {
+        VMSTATE_CPU_HOTPLUG(cpuhp_state, ICH9LPCPMRegs),
+        VMSTATE_END_OF_LIST()
+    }
+};
+
 const VMStateDescription vmstate_ich9_pm = {
     .name = "ich9_pm",
     .version_id = 1,
@@ -209,6 +236,7 @@ const VMStateDescription vmstate_ich9_pm = {
     .subsections = (const VMStateDescription*[]) {
         &vmstate_memhp_state,
         &vmstate_tco_io_state,
+        &vmstate_cpuhp_state,
         NULL
     }
 };
@@ -318,6 +346,11 @@ static void ich9_pm_set_cpu_hotplug_legacy(Object *obj, bool value,
 {
     ICH9LPCState *s = ICH9_LPC_DEVICE(obj);
 
+    assert(!value);
+    if (s->pm.cpu_hotplug_legacy && value == false) {
+        acpi_switch_to_modern_cphp(&s->pm.gpe_cpu, &s->pm.cpuhp_state,
+                                   ICH9_CPU_HOTPLUG_IO_BASE);
+    }
     s->pm.cpu_hotplug_legacy = value;
 }
 
diff --git a/hw/acpi/piix4.c b/hw/acpi/piix4.c
index 858244a..2adc246 100644
--- a/hw/acpi/piix4.c
+++ b/hw/acpi/piix4.c
@@ -276,6 +276,32 @@ static const VMStateDescription vmstate_memhp_state = {
     }
 };
 
+static bool vmstate_test_use_cpuhp(void *opaque)
+{
+    PIIX4PMState *s = opaque;
+    return !s->cpu_hotplug_legacy;
+}
+
+static int vmstate_cpuhp_pre_load(void *opaque)
+{
+    Object *obj = OBJECT(opaque);
+    object_property_set_bool(obj, false, "cpu-hotplug-legacy", &error_abort);
+    return 0;
+}
+
+static const VMStateDescription vmstate_cpuhp_state = {
+    .name = "piix4_pm/cpuhp",
+    .version_id = 1,
+    .minimum_version_id = 1,
+    .minimum_version_id_old = 1,
+    .needed = vmstate_test_use_cpuhp,
+    .pre_load = vmstate_cpuhp_pre_load,
+    .fields      = (VMStateField[]) {
+        VMSTATE_CPU_HOTPLUG(cpuhp_state, PIIX4PMState),
+        VMSTATE_END_OF_LIST()
+    }
+};
+
 /* qemu-kvm 1.2 uses version 3 but advertised as 2
  * To support incoming qemu-kvm 1.2 migration, change version_id
  * and minimum_version_id to 2 below (which breaks migration from
@@ -310,6 +336,7 @@ static const VMStateDescription vmstate_acpi = {
     },
     .subsections = (const VMStateDescription*[]) {
          &vmstate_memhp_state,
+         &vmstate_cpuhp_state,
          NULL
     }
 };
@@ -585,6 +612,11 @@ static void piix4_set_cpu_hotplug_legacy(Object *obj, bool value, Error **errp)
 {
     PIIX4PMState *s = PIIX4_PM(obj);
 
+    assert(!value);
+    if (s->cpu_hotplug_legacy && value == false) {
+        acpi_switch_to_modern_cphp(&s->gpe_cpu, &s->cpuhp_state,
+                                   PIIX4_CPU_HOTPLUG_IO_BASE);
+    }
     s->cpu_hotplug_legacy = value;
 }
 
diff --git a/hw/i386/acpi-build.c b/hw/i386/acpi-build.c
index e35a446..20e5b49 100644
--- a/hw/i386/acpi-build.c
+++ b/hw/i386/acpi-build.c
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
 #include "hw/timer/hpet.h"
 #include "hw/acpi/acpi-defs.h"
 #include "hw/acpi/acpi.h"
+#include "hw/acpi/cpu.h"
 #include "hw/nvram/fw_cfg.h"
 #include "hw/acpi/bios-linker-loader.h"
 #include "hw/loader.h"
@@ -1895,6 +1896,7 @@ build_dsdt(GArray *table_data, BIOSLinker *linker,
     GPtrArray *mem_ranges = g_ptr_array_new_with_free_func(crs_range_free);
     GPtrArray *io_ranges = g_ptr_array_new_with_free_func(crs_range_free);
     PCMachineState *pcms = PC_MACHINE(machine);
+    PCMachineClass *pcmc = PC_MACHINE_GET_CLASS(machine);
     uint32_t nr_mem = machine->ram_slots;
     int root_bus_limit = 0xFF;
     PCIBus *bus = NULL;
@@ -1950,7 +1952,15 @@ build_dsdt(GArray *table_data, BIOSLinker *linker,
         build_q35_pci0_int(dsdt);
     }
 
-    build_legacy_cpu_hotplug_aml(dsdt, machine, pm->cpu_hp_io_base);
+    if (pcmc->legacy_cpu_hotplug) {
+        build_legacy_cpu_hotplug_aml(dsdt, machine, pm->cpu_hp_io_base);
+    } else {
+        CPUHotplugFeatures opts = {
+            .apci_1_compatible = true, .has_legacy_cphp = true
+        };
+        build_cpus_aml(dsdt, machine, opts, pm->cpu_hp_io_base,
+                       "\\_SB.PCI0", "\\_GPE._E02");
+    }
     build_memory_hotplug_aml(dsdt, nr_mem, pm->mem_hp_io_base,
                              pm->mem_hp_io_len);
 
diff --git a/hw/i386/pc_piix.c b/hw/i386/pc_piix.c
index 53bc968..c7d70af 100644
--- a/hw/i386/pc_piix.c
+++ b/hw/i386/pc_piix.c
@@ -445,9 +445,11 @@ DEFINE_I440FX_MACHINE(v2_7, "pc-i440fx-2.7", NULL,
 
 static void pc_i440fx_2_6_machine_options(MachineClass *m)
 {
+    PCMachineClass *pcmc = PC_MACHINE_CLASS(m);
     pc_i440fx_2_7_machine_options(m);
     m->is_default = 0;
     m->alias = NULL;
+    pcmc->legacy_cpu_hotplug = true;
     SET_MACHINE_COMPAT(m, PC_COMPAT_2_6);
 }
 
diff --git a/hw/i386/pc_q35.c b/hw/i386/pc_q35.c
index e4b541f..97a8835 100644
--- a/hw/i386/pc_q35.c
+++ b/hw/i386/pc_q35.c
@@ -294,8 +294,10 @@ DEFINE_Q35_MACHINE(v2_7, "pc-q35-2.7", NULL,
 
 static void pc_q35_2_6_machine_options(MachineClass *m)
 {
+    PCMachineClass *pcmc = PC_MACHINE_CLASS(m);
     pc_q35_2_7_machine_options(m);
     m->alias = NULL;
+    pcmc->legacy_cpu_hotplug = true;
     SET_MACHINE_COMPAT(m, PC_COMPAT_2_6);
 }
 
