diff --git a/hw/intc/spapr_xive.c b/hw/intc/spapr_xive.c
index 0aa5d8a55e..a79574b23c 100644
--- a/hw/intc/spapr_xive.c
+++ b/hw/intc/spapr_xive.c
@@ -281,7 +281,6 @@ static void spapr_xive_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
     XiveSource *xsrc = &xive->source;
     XiveENDSource *end_xsrc = &xive->end_source;
     Error *local_err = NULL;
-    MachineState *machine = MACHINE(qdev_get_machine());
 
     if (!xive->nr_irqs) {
         error_setg(errp, "Number of interrupt needs to be greater 0");
@@ -332,27 +331,12 @@ static void spapr_xive_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
                            xive->tm_base + XIVE_TM_USER_PAGE * (1 << TM_SHIFT));
 
     qemu_register_reset(spapr_xive_reset, dev);
+}
 
-    if (kvm_enabled() && machine_kernel_irqchip_allowed(machine)) {
-        kvmppc_xive_connect(xive, &local_err);
-        if (local_err && machine_kernel_irqchip_required(machine)) {
-            error_prepend(&local_err,
-                          "kernel_irqchip requested but unavailable: ");
-            error_propagate(errp, local_err);
-            return;
-        }
-
-        if (!local_err) {
-            return;
-        }
-
-        /*
-         * We failed to initialize the XIVE KVM device, fallback to
-         * emulated mode
-         */
-        error_prepend(&local_err, "kernel_irqchip allowed but unavailable: ");
-        warn_report_err(local_err);
-    }
+void spapr_xive_init(SpaprXive *xive, Error **errp)
+{
+    XiveSource *xsrc = &xive->source;
+    XiveENDSource *end_xsrc = &xive->end_source;
 
     /* TIMA initialization */
     memory_region_init_io(&xive->tm_mmio, OBJECT(xive), &xive_tm_ops, xive,
diff --git a/hw/ppc/spapr_irq.c b/hw/ppc/spapr_irq.c
index e969683f5c..d1e87577fb 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/spapr_irq.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/spapr_irq.c
@@ -62,36 +62,50 @@ void spapr_irq_msi_reset(SpaprMachineState *spapr)
     bitmap_clear(spapr->irq_map, 0, spapr->irq_map_nr);
 }
 
-
-/*
- * XICS IRQ backend.
- */
-
-static void spapr_irq_init_xics(SpaprMachineState *spapr, int nr_irqs,
-                                Error **errp)
+static void spapr_irq_init_device(SpaprMachineState *spapr,
+                                  SpaprIrq *irq, Error **errp)
 {
     MachineState *machine = MACHINE(spapr);
-    Object *obj;
     Error *local_err = NULL;
-    bool xics_kvm = false;
 
-    if (kvm_enabled()) {
-        if (machine_kernel_irqchip_allowed(machine) &&
-            !xics_kvm_init(spapr, &local_err)) {
-            xics_kvm = true;
-        }
-        if (machine_kernel_irqchip_required(machine) && !xics_kvm) {
+    if (kvm_enabled() && machine_kernel_irqchip_allowed(machine)) {
+        irq->init_kvm(spapr, &local_err);
+        if (local_err && machine_kernel_irqchip_required(machine)) {
             error_prepend(&local_err,
                           "kernel_irqchip requested but unavailable: ");
             error_propagate(errp, local_err);
             return;
         }
-        error_free(local_err);
-        local_err = NULL;
+
+        if (!local_err) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        /*
+         * We failed to initialize the KVM device, fallback to
+         * emulated mode
+         */
+        error_prepend(&local_err, "kernel_irqchip allowed but unavailable: ");
+        warn_report_err(local_err);
     }
 
-    if (!xics_kvm) {
-        xics_spapr_init(spapr);
+    irq->init_emu(spapr, errp);
+}
+
+/*
+ * XICS IRQ backend.
+ */
+
+static void spapr_irq_init_xics(SpaprMachineState *spapr, int nr_irqs,
+                                Error **errp)
+{
+    Object *obj;
+    Error *local_err = NULL;
+
+    spapr_irq_init_device(spapr, &spapr_irq_xics, &local_err);
+    if (local_err) {
+        error_propagate(errp, local_err);
+        return;
     }
 
     obj = object_new(TYPE_ICS_SIMPLE);
@@ -220,6 +234,18 @@ static const char *spapr_irq_get_nodename_xics(SpaprMachineState *spapr)
     return XICS_NODENAME;
 }
 
+static void spapr_irq_init_emu_xics(SpaprMachineState *spapr, Error **errp)
+{
+    xics_spapr_init(spapr);
+}
+
+static void spapr_irq_init_kvm_xics(SpaprMachineState *spapr, Error **errp)
+{
+    if (kvm_enabled()) {
+        xics_kvm_init(spapr, errp);
+    }
+}
+
 #define SPAPR_IRQ_XICS_NR_IRQS     0x1000
 #define SPAPR_IRQ_XICS_NR_MSIS     \
     (XICS_IRQ_BASE + SPAPR_IRQ_XICS_NR_IRQS - SPAPR_IRQ_MSI)
@@ -240,6 +266,8 @@ SpaprIrq spapr_irq_xics = {
     .reset       = spapr_irq_reset_xics,
     .set_irq     = spapr_irq_set_irq_xics,
     .get_nodename = spapr_irq_get_nodename_xics,
+    .init_emu    = spapr_irq_init_emu_xics,
+    .init_kvm    = spapr_irq_init_kvm_xics,
 };
 
 /*
@@ -251,6 +279,7 @@ static void spapr_irq_init_xive(SpaprMachineState *spapr, int nr_irqs,
     uint32_t nr_servers = spapr_max_server_number(spapr);
     DeviceState *dev;
     int i;
+    Error *local_err = NULL;
 
     dev = qdev_create(NULL, TYPE_SPAPR_XIVE);
     qdev_prop_set_uint32(dev, "nr-irqs", nr_irqs);
@@ -268,6 +297,12 @@ static void spapr_irq_init_xive(SpaprMachineState *spapr, int nr_irqs,
     }
 
     spapr_xive_hcall_init(spapr);
+
+    spapr_irq_init_device(spapr, &spapr_irq_xive, &local_err);
+    if (local_err) {
+        error_propagate(errp, local_err);
+        return;
+    }
 }
 
 static int spapr_irq_claim_xive(SpaprMachineState *spapr, int irq, bool lsi,
@@ -375,6 +410,18 @@ static const char *spapr_irq_get_nodename_xive(SpaprMachineState *spapr)
     return spapr->xive->nodename;
 }
 
+static void spapr_irq_init_emu_xive(SpaprMachineState *spapr, Error **errp)
+{
+    spapr_xive_init(spapr->xive, errp);
+}
+
+static void spapr_irq_init_kvm_xive(SpaprMachineState *spapr, Error **errp)
+{
+    if (kvm_enabled()) {
+        kvmppc_xive_connect(spapr->xive, errp);
+    }
+}
+
 /*
  * XIVE uses the full IRQ number space. Set it to 8K to be compatible
  * with XICS.
@@ -399,6 +446,8 @@ SpaprIrq spapr_irq_xive = {
     .reset       = spapr_irq_reset_xive,
     .set_irq     = spapr_irq_set_irq_xive,
     .get_nodename = spapr_irq_get_nodename_xive,
+    .init_emu    = spapr_irq_init_emu_xive,
+    .init_kvm    = spapr_irq_init_kvm_xive,
 };
 
 /*
@@ -560,6 +609,8 @@ SpaprIrq spapr_irq_dual = {
     .reset       = spapr_irq_reset_dual,
     .set_irq     = spapr_irq_set_irq_dual,
     .get_nodename = spapr_irq_get_nodename_dual,
+    .init_emu    = NULL, /* should not be used */
+    .init_kvm    = NULL, /* should not be used */
 };
 
 
diff --git a/include/hw/ppc/spapr_irq.h b/include/hw/ppc/spapr_irq.h
index b855f74e44..14cab73c9c 100644
--- a/include/hw/ppc/spapr_irq.h
+++ b/include/hw/ppc/spapr_irq.h
@@ -48,6 +48,8 @@ typedef struct SpaprIrq {
     void (*reset)(SpaprMachineState *spapr, Error **errp);
     void (*set_irq)(void *opaque, int srcno, int val);
     const char *(*get_nodename)(SpaprMachineState *spapr);
+    void (*init_emu)(SpaprMachineState *spapr, Error **errp);
+    void (*init_kvm)(SpaprMachineState *spapr, Error **errp);
 } SpaprIrq;
 
 extern SpaprIrq spapr_irq_xics;
diff --git a/include/hw/ppc/spapr_xive.h b/include/hw/ppc/spapr_xive.h
index 0b5e972d52..b26befcf6b 100644
--- a/include/hw/ppc/spapr_xive.h
+++ b/include/hw/ppc/spapr_xive.h
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ void spapr_xive_map_mmio(SpaprXive *xive);
 
 int spapr_xive_end_to_target(uint8_t end_blk, uint32_t end_idx,
                              uint32_t *out_server, uint8_t *out_prio);
+void spapr_xive_init(SpaprXive *xive, Error **errp);
 
 /*
  * KVM XIVE device helpers
