diff --git a/hw/core/qdev-hotplug.c b/hw/core/qdev-hotplug.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d495d0e9c70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hw/core/qdev-hotplug.c
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+/*
+ * QDev Hotplug handlers
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) Red Hat
+ *
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+ *
+ * This work is licensed under the terms of the GNU GPL, version 2 or later.
+ * See the COPYING file in the top-level directory.
+ */
+
+#include "qemu/osdep.h"
+#include "hw/qdev-core.h"
+#include "hw/boards.h"
+
+HotplugHandler *qdev_get_machine_hotplug_handler(DeviceState *dev)
+{
+    MachineState *machine;
+    MachineClass *mc;
+    Object *m_obj = qdev_get_machine();
+
+    if (object_dynamic_cast(m_obj, TYPE_MACHINE)) {
+        machine = MACHINE(m_obj);
+        mc = MACHINE_GET_CLASS(machine);
+        if (mc->get_hotplug_handler) {
+            return mc->get_hotplug_handler(machine, dev);
+        }
+    }
+
+    return NULL;
+}
+
+bool qdev_hotplug_allowed(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
+{
+    MachineState *machine;
+    MachineClass *mc;
+    Object *m_obj = qdev_get_machine();
+
+    if (object_dynamic_cast(m_obj, TYPE_MACHINE)) {
+        machine = MACHINE(m_obj);
+        mc = MACHINE_GET_CLASS(machine);
+        if (mc->hotplug_allowed) {
+            return mc->hotplug_allowed(machine, dev, errp);
+        }
+    }
+
+    return true;
+}
+
+HotplugHandler *qdev_get_bus_hotplug_handler(DeviceState *dev)
+{
+    if (dev->parent_bus) {
+        return dev->parent_bus->hotplug_handler;
+    }
+    return NULL;
+}
+
+HotplugHandler *qdev_get_hotplug_handler(DeviceState *dev)
+{
+    HotplugHandler *hotplug_ctrl = qdev_get_machine_hotplug_handler(dev);
+
+    if (hotplug_ctrl == NULL && dev->parent_bus) {
+        hotplug_ctrl = qdev_get_bus_hotplug_handler(dev);
+    }
+    return hotplug_ctrl;
+}
+
+/* can be used as ->unplug() callback for the simple cases */
+void qdev_simple_device_unplug_cb(HotplugHandler *hotplug_dev,
+                                  DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
+{
+    qdev_unrealize(dev);
+}
diff --git a/hw/core/qdev.c b/hw/core/qdev.c
index 1e38f997245..84f3019440f 100644
--- a/hw/core/qdev.c
+++ b/hw/core/qdev.c
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@
 #include "qapi/visitor.h"
 #include "qemu/error-report.h"
 #include "qemu/option.h"
-#include "hw/hotplug.h"
 #include "hw/irq.h"
 #include "hw/qdev-properties.h"
 #include "hw/boards.h"
@@ -238,58 +237,6 @@ void qdev_set_legacy_instance_id(DeviceState *dev, int alias_id,
     dev->alias_required_for_version = required_for_version;
 }
 
-HotplugHandler *qdev_get_machine_hotplug_handler(DeviceState *dev)
-{
-    MachineState *machine;
-    MachineClass *mc;
-    Object *m_obj = qdev_get_machine();
-
-    if (object_dynamic_cast(m_obj, TYPE_MACHINE)) {
-        machine = MACHINE(m_obj);
-        mc = MACHINE_GET_CLASS(machine);
-        if (mc->get_hotplug_handler) {
-            return mc->get_hotplug_handler(machine, dev);
-        }
-    }
-
-    return NULL;
-}
-
-bool qdev_hotplug_allowed(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
-{
-    MachineState *machine;
-    MachineClass *mc;
-    Object *m_obj = qdev_get_machine();
-
-    if (object_dynamic_cast(m_obj, TYPE_MACHINE)) {
-        machine = MACHINE(m_obj);
-        mc = MACHINE_GET_CLASS(machine);
-        if (mc->hotplug_allowed) {
-            return mc->hotplug_allowed(machine, dev, errp);
-        }
-    }
-
-    return true;
-}
-
-HotplugHandler *qdev_get_bus_hotplug_handler(DeviceState *dev)
-{
-    if (dev->parent_bus) {
-        return dev->parent_bus->hotplug_handler;
-    }
-    return NULL;
-}
-
-HotplugHandler *qdev_get_hotplug_handler(DeviceState *dev)
-{
-    HotplugHandler *hotplug_ctrl = qdev_get_machine_hotplug_handler(dev);
-
-    if (hotplug_ctrl == NULL && dev->parent_bus) {
-        hotplug_ctrl = qdev_get_bus_hotplug_handler(dev);
-    }
-    return hotplug_ctrl;
-}
-
 static int qdev_prereset(DeviceState *dev, void *opaque)
 {
     trace_qdev_reset_tree(dev, object_get_typename(OBJECT(dev)));
@@ -371,13 +318,6 @@ static void device_reset_child_foreach(Object *obj, ResettableChildCallback cb,
     }
 }
 
-/* can be used as ->unplug() callback for the simple cases */
-void qdev_simple_device_unplug_cb(HotplugHandler *hotplug_dev,
-                                  DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
-{
-    qdev_unrealize(dev);
-}
-
 bool qdev_realize(DeviceState *dev, BusState *bus, Error **errp)
 {
     assert(!dev->realized && !dev->parent_bus);
diff --git a/hw/core/meson.build b/hw/core/meson.build
index cc1ebb8e0f4..c9fe6441d92 100644
--- a/hw/core/meson.build
+++ b/hw/core/meson.build
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
   'irq.c',
   'clock.c',
   'qdev-clock.c',
+  'qdev-hotplug.c',
 ))
 
 common_ss.add(files('cpu-common.c'))
