diff --git a/hw/riscv/sifive_u.c b/hw/riscv/sifive_u.c
index c05dcbba95..45b6aeb36b 100644
--- a/hw/riscv/sifive_u.c
+++ b/hw/riscv/sifive_u.c
@@ -116,10 +116,10 @@ static void create_fdt(SiFiveUState *s, const struct MemmapEntry *memmap,
     qemu_fdt_setprop_cell(fdt, "/cpus", "#size-cells", 0x0);
     qemu_fdt_setprop_cell(fdt, "/cpus", "#address-cells", 0x1);
 
-    for (cpu = s->soc.num_harts - 1; cpu >= 0; cpu--) {
+    for (cpu = s->soc.cpus.num_harts - 1; cpu >= 0; cpu--) {
         nodename = g_strdup_printf("/cpus/cpu@%d", cpu);
         char *intc = g_strdup_printf("/cpus/cpu@%d/interrupt-controller", cpu);
-        char *isa = riscv_isa_string(&s->soc.harts[cpu]);
+        char *isa = riscv_isa_string(&s->soc.cpus.harts[cpu]);
         qemu_fdt_add_subnode(fdt, nodename);
         qemu_fdt_setprop_cell(fdt, nodename, "clock-frequency",
                               SIFIVE_U_CLOCK_FREQ);
@@ -140,8 +140,8 @@ static void create_fdt(SiFiveUState *s, const struct MemmapEntry *memmap,
         g_free(nodename);
     }
 
-    cells =  g_new0(uint32_t, s->soc.num_harts * 4);
-    for (cpu = 0; cpu < s->soc.num_harts; cpu++) {
+    cells =  g_new0(uint32_t, s->soc.cpus.num_harts * 4);
+    for (cpu = 0; cpu < s->soc.cpus.num_harts; cpu++) {
         nodename =
             g_strdup_printf("/cpus/cpu@%d/interrupt-controller", cpu);
         uint32_t intc_phandle = qemu_fdt_get_phandle(fdt, nodename);
@@ -159,12 +159,12 @@ static void create_fdt(SiFiveUState *s, const struct MemmapEntry *memmap,
         0x0, memmap[SIFIVE_U_CLINT].base,
         0x0, memmap[SIFIVE_U_CLINT].size);
     qemu_fdt_setprop(fdt, nodename, "interrupts-extended",
-        cells, s->soc.num_harts * sizeof(uint32_t) * 4);
+        cells, s->soc.cpus.num_harts * sizeof(uint32_t) * 4);
     g_free(cells);
     g_free(nodename);
 
-    cells =  g_new0(uint32_t, s->soc.num_harts * 4);
-    for (cpu = 0; cpu < s->soc.num_harts; cpu++) {
+    cells =  g_new0(uint32_t, s->soc.cpus.num_harts * 4);
+    for (cpu = 0; cpu < s->soc.cpus.num_harts; cpu++) {
         nodename =
             g_strdup_printf("/cpus/cpu@%d/interrupt-controller", cpu);
         uint32_t intc_phandle = qemu_fdt_get_phandle(fdt, nodename);
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ static void create_fdt(SiFiveUState *s, const struct MemmapEntry *memmap,
     qemu_fdt_setprop_string(fdt, nodename, "compatible", "riscv,plic0");
     qemu_fdt_setprop(fdt, nodename, "interrupt-controller", NULL, 0);
     qemu_fdt_setprop(fdt, nodename, "interrupts-extended",
-        cells, s->soc.num_harts * sizeof(uint32_t) * 4);
+        cells, s->soc.cpus.num_harts * sizeof(uint32_t) * 4);
     qemu_fdt_setprop_cells(fdt, nodename, "reg",
         0x0, memmap[SIFIVE_U_PLIC].base,
         0x0, memmap[SIFIVE_U_PLIC].size);
@@ -217,17 +217,12 @@ static void riscv_sifive_u_init(MachineState *machine)
     SiFiveUState *s = g_new0(SiFiveUState, 1);
     MemoryRegion *system_memory = get_system_memory();
     MemoryRegion *main_mem = g_new(MemoryRegion, 1);
-    MemoryRegion *mask_rom = g_new(MemoryRegion, 1);
     int i;
 
-    /* Initialize SOC */
-    object_initialize(&s->soc, sizeof(s->soc), TYPE_RISCV_HART_ARRAY);
+    /* Initialize SoC */
+    object_initialize(&s->soc, sizeof(s->soc), TYPE_RISCV_U_SOC);
     object_property_add_child(OBJECT(machine), "soc", OBJECT(&s->soc),
                               &error_abort);
-    object_property_set_str(OBJECT(&s->soc), SIFIVE_U_CPU, "cpu-type",
-                            &error_abort);
-    object_property_set_int(OBJECT(&s->soc), smp_cpus, "num-harts",
-                            &error_abort);
     object_property_set_bool(OBJECT(&s->soc), true, "realized",
                             &error_abort);
 
@@ -235,17 +230,11 @@ static void riscv_sifive_u_init(MachineState *machine)
     memory_region_init_ram(main_mem, NULL, "riscv.sifive.u.ram",
                            machine->ram_size, &error_fatal);
     memory_region_add_subregion(system_memory, memmap[SIFIVE_U_DRAM].base,
-        main_mem);
+                                main_mem);
 
     /* create device tree */
     create_fdt(s, memmap, machine->ram_size, machine->kernel_cmdline);
 
-    /* boot rom */
-    memory_region_init_rom(mask_rom, NULL, "riscv.sifive.u.mrom",
-                           memmap[SIFIVE_U_MROM].size, &error_fatal);
-    memory_region_add_subregion(system_memory, memmap[SIFIVE_U_MROM].base,
-                                mask_rom);
-
     if (machine->kernel_filename) {
         load_kernel(machine->kernel_filename);
     }
@@ -284,6 +273,39 @@ static void riscv_sifive_u_init(MachineState *machine)
     rom_add_blob_fixed_as("mrom.fdt", s->fdt, fdt_totalsize(s->fdt),
                           memmap[SIFIVE_U_MROM].base + sizeof(reset_vec),
                           &address_space_memory);
+}
+
+static void riscv_sifive_u_soc_init(Object *obj)
+{
+    const struct MemmapEntry *memmap = sifive_u_memmap;
+
+    SiFiveUSoCState *s = RISCV_U_SOC(obj);
+    MemoryRegion *system_memory = get_system_memory();
+    MemoryRegion *mask_rom = g_new(MemoryRegion, 1);
+
+    object_initialize(&s->cpus, sizeof(s->cpus), TYPE_RISCV_HART_ARRAY);
+    object_property_add_child(obj, "cpus", OBJECT(&s->cpus),
+                              &error_abort);
+    object_property_set_str(OBJECT(&s->cpus), SIFIVE_U_CPU, "cpu-type",
+                            &error_abort);
+    object_property_set_int(OBJECT(&s->cpus), smp_cpus, "num-harts",
+                            &error_abort);
+
+    /* boot rom */
+    memory_region_init_rom(mask_rom, NULL, "riscv.sifive.u.mrom",
+                           memmap[SIFIVE_U_MROM].size, &error_fatal);
+    memory_region_add_subregion(system_memory, memmap[SIFIVE_U_MROM].base,
+                                mask_rom);
+}
+
+static void riscv_sifive_u_soc_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
+{
+    SiFiveUSoCState *s = RISCV_U_SOC(dev);
+    const struct MemmapEntry *memmap = sifive_u_memmap;
+    MemoryRegion *system_memory = get_system_memory();
+
+    object_property_set_bool(OBJECT(&s->cpus), true, "realized",
+                             &error_abort);
 
     /* MMIO */
     s->plic = sifive_plic_create(memmap[SIFIVE_U_PLIC].base,
@@ -314,3 +336,27 @@ static void riscv_sifive_u_machine_init(MachineClass *mc)
 }
 
 DEFINE_MACHINE("sifive_u", riscv_sifive_u_machine_init)
+
+static void riscv_sifive_u_soc_class_init(ObjectClass *oc, void *data)
+{
+    DeviceClass *dc = DEVICE_CLASS(oc);
+
+    dc->realize = riscv_sifive_u_soc_realize;
+    /* Reason: Uses serial_hds in realize function, thus can't be used twice */
+    dc->user_creatable = false;
+}
+
+static const TypeInfo riscv_sifive_u_soc_type_info = {
+    .name = TYPE_RISCV_U_SOC,
+    .parent = TYPE_DEVICE,
+    .instance_size = sizeof(SiFiveUSoCState),
+    .instance_init = riscv_sifive_u_soc_init,
+    .class_init = riscv_sifive_u_soc_class_init,
+};
+
+static void riscv_sifive_u_soc_register_types(void)
+{
+    type_register_static(&riscv_sifive_u_soc_type_info);
+}
+
+type_init(riscv_sifive_u_soc_register_types)
diff --git a/include/hw/riscv/sifive_u.h b/include/hw/riscv/sifive_u.h
index 94a390566e..49f1946539 100644
--- a/include/hw/riscv/sifive_u.h
+++ b/include/hw/riscv/sifive_u.h
@@ -19,13 +19,25 @@
 #ifndef HW_SIFIVE_U_H
 #define HW_SIFIVE_U_H
 
-typedef struct SiFiveUState {
+#define TYPE_RISCV_U_SOC "riscv.sifive.u.soc"
+#define RISCV_U_SOC(obj) \
+    OBJECT_CHECK(SiFiveUSoCState, (obj), TYPE_RISCV_U_SOC)
+
+typedef struct SiFiveUSoCState {
     /*< private >*/
     SysBusDevice parent_obj;
 
     /*< public >*/
-    RISCVHartArrayState soc;
+    RISCVHartArrayState cpus;
     DeviceState *plic;
+} SiFiveUSoCState;
+
+typedef struct SiFiveUState {
+    /*< private >*/
+    SysBusDevice parent_obj;
+
+    /*< public >*/
+    SiFiveUSoCState soc;
     void *fdt;
     int fdt_size;
 } SiFiveUState;
