diff --git a/accel/kvm/kvm-all.c b/accel/kvm/kvm-all.c
index f290f487a573..a9b16846675e 100644
--- a/accel/kvm/kvm-all.c
+++ b/accel/kvm/kvm-all.c
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
 #include "qemu/event_notifier.h"
 #include "trace.h"
 #include "hw/irq.h"
+#include "sysemu/sev.h"
 
 #include "hw/boards.h"
 
@@ -103,6 +104,9 @@ struct KVMState
 #endif
     KVMMemoryListener memory_listener;
     QLIST_HEAD(, KVMParkedVcpu) kvm_parked_vcpus;
+
+    /* memory encryption */
+    void *memcrypt_handle;
 };
 
 KVMState *kvm_state;
@@ -1632,6 +1636,17 @@ static int kvm_init(MachineState *ms)
 
     kvm_state = s;
 
+    /*
+     * if memory encryption object is specified then initialize the memory
+     * encryption context.
+     * */
+    if (ms->memory_encryption) {
+        kvm_state->memcrypt_handle = sev_guest_init(ms->memory_encryption);
+        if (!kvm_state->memcrypt_handle) {
+            goto err;
+        }
+    }
+
     ret = kvm_arch_init(ms, s);
     if (ret < 0) {
         goto err;
diff --git a/accel/kvm/sev.c b/accel/kvm/sev.c
index a9b9a63c2da0..37020751bd14 100644
--- a/accel/kvm/sev.c
+++ b/accel/kvm/sev.c
@@ -22,6 +22,67 @@
 #define DEFAULT_GUEST_POLICY    0x1 /* disable debug */
 #define DEFAULT_SEV_DEVICE      "/dev/sev"
 
+static int sev_fd;
+
+#define SEV_FW_MAX_ERROR      0x17
+
+static char sev_fw_errlist[SEV_FW_MAX_ERROR][100] = {
+    "",
+    "Platform state is invalid",
+    "Guest state is invalid",
+    "Platform configuration is invalid",
+    "Buffer too small",
+    "Platform is already owned",
+    "Certificate is invalid",
+    "Policy is not allowed",
+    "Guest is not active",
+    "Invalid address",
+    "Bad signature",
+    "Bad measurement",
+    "Asid is already owned",
+    "Invalid ASID",
+    "WBINVD is required",
+    "DF_FLUSH is required",
+    "Guest handle is invalid",
+    "Invalid command",
+    "Guest is active",
+    "Hardware error",
+    "Hardware unsafe",
+    "Feature not supported",
+    "Invalid parameter"
+};
+
+static int
+sev_ioctl(int cmd, void *data, int *error)
+{
+    int r;
+    struct kvm_sev_cmd input;
+
+    memset(&input, 0x0, sizeof(input));
+
+    input.id = cmd;
+    input.sev_fd = sev_fd;
+    input.data = (__u64)data;
+
+    r = kvm_vm_ioctl(kvm_state, KVM_MEMORY_ENCRYPT_OP, &input);
+
+    if (error) {
+        *error = input.error;
+    }
+
+    return r;
+}
+
+static char *
+fw_error_to_str(int code)
+{
+    if (code > SEV_FW_MAX_ERROR) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
+    return sev_fw_errlist[code];
+}
+
 static void
 qsev_guest_finalize(Object *obj)
 {
@@ -170,6 +231,67 @@ static const TypeInfo qsev_guest_info = {
     }
 };
 
+static QSevGuestInfo *
+lookup_sev_guest_info(const char *id)
+{
+    Object *obj;
+    QSevGuestInfo *info;
+
+    obj = object_resolve_path_component(object_get_objects_root(), id);
+    if (!obj) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
+    info = (QSevGuestInfo *)
+            object_dynamic_cast(obj, TYPE_QSEV_GUEST_INFO);
+    if (!info) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
+    return info;
+}
+
+void *
+sev_guest_init(const char *id)
+{
+    SEVState *s;
+    char *devname;
+    int ret, fw_error;
+
+    s = g_malloc0(sizeof(SEVState));
+    if (!s) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
+    s->sev_info = lookup_sev_guest_info(id);
+    if (!s->sev_info) {
+        error_report("%s: '%s' is not a valid '%s' object",
+                     __func__, id, TYPE_QSEV_GUEST_INFO);
+        goto err;
+    }
+
+    devname = object_property_get_str(OBJECT(s->sev_info), "sev-device", NULL);
+    sev_fd = open(devname, O_RDWR);
+    if (sev_fd < 0) {
+        error_report("%s: Failed to open %s '%s'", __func__,
+                     devname, strerror(errno));
+        goto err;
+    }
+    g_free(devname);
+
+    ret = sev_ioctl(KVM_SEV_INIT, NULL, &fw_error);
+    if (ret) {
+        error_report("%s: failed to initialize ret=%d fw_error=%d '%s'",
+                     __func__, ret, fw_error, fw_error_to_str(fw_error));
+        goto err;
+    }
+
+    return s;
+err:
+    g_free(s);
+    return NULL;
+}
+
 static void
 sev_register_types(void)
 {
diff --git a/include/sysemu/sev.h b/include/sysemu/sev.h
index e00794ec1805..f85517c0b5b5 100644
--- a/include/sysemu/sev.h
+++ b/include/sysemu/sev.h
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@
 #ifndef QEMU_SEV_H
 #define QEMU_SEV_H
 
+#include <linux/kvm.h>
+
 #include "qom/object.h"
 #include "qapi/error.h"
 #include "sysemu/kvm.h"
@@ -49,5 +51,13 @@ struct QSevGuestInfoClass {
     ObjectClass parent_class;
 };
 
+struct SEVState {
+    QSevGuestInfo *sev_info;
+};
+
+typedef struct SEVState SEVState;
+
+void *sev_guest_init(const char *id);
+
 #endif
 
