diff --git a/hw/acpi/ghes.c b/hw/acpi/ghes.c
index b709c177cdea..e49a03fdb94e 100644
--- a/hw/acpi/ghes.c
+++ b/hw/acpi/ghes.c
@@ -206,7 +206,8 @@ ghes_gen_err_data_uncorrectable_recoverable(GArray *block,
  * Initialize "etc/hardware_errors" and "etc/hardware_errors_addr" fw_cfg blobs.
  * See docs/specs/acpi_hest_ghes.rst for blobs format.
  */
-static void build_ghes_error_table(GArray *hardware_errors, BIOSLinker *linker)
+static void build_ghes_error_table(AcpiGhesState *ags, GArray *hardware_errors,
+                                   BIOSLinker *linker)
 {
     int i, error_status_block_offset;
 
@@ -251,13 +252,15 @@ static void build_ghes_error_table(GArray *hardware_errors, BIOSLinker *linker)
                                        i * ACPI_GHES_MAX_RAW_DATA_LENGTH);
     }
 
-    /*
-     * tell firmware to write hardware_errors GPA into
-     * hardware_errors_addr fw_cfg, once the former has been initialized.
-     */
-    bios_linker_loader_write_pointer(linker, ACPI_HW_ERROR_ADDR_FW_CFG_FILE, 0,
-                                     sizeof(uint64_t),
-                                     ACPI_HW_ERROR_FW_CFG_FILE, 0);
+    if (!ags->use_hest_addr) {
+        /*
+         * Tell firmware to write hardware_errors GPA into
+         * hardware_errors_addr fw_cfg, once the former has been initialized.
+         */
+        bios_linker_loader_write_pointer(linker, ACPI_HW_ERROR_ADDR_FW_CFG_FILE,
+                                         0, sizeof(uint64_t),
+                                         ACPI_HW_ERROR_FW_CFG_FILE, 0);
+    }
 }
 
 /* Build Generic Hardware Error Source version 2 (GHESv2) */
@@ -331,14 +334,15 @@ static void build_ghes_v2(GArray *table_data,
 }
 
 /* Build Hardware Error Source Table */
-void acpi_build_hest(GArray *table_data, GArray *hardware_errors,
+void acpi_build_hest(AcpiGhesState *ags, GArray *table_data,
+                     GArray *hardware_errors,
                      BIOSLinker *linker,
                      const char *oem_id, const char *oem_table_id)
 {
     AcpiTable table = { .sig = "HEST", .rev = 1,
                         .oem_id = oem_id, .oem_table_id = oem_table_id };
 
-    build_ghes_error_table(hardware_errors, linker);
+    build_ghes_error_table(ags, hardware_errors, linker);
 
     acpi_table_begin(&table, table_data);
 
@@ -357,11 +361,11 @@ void acpi_ghes_add_fw_cfg(AcpiGhesState *ags, FWCfgState *s,
     fw_cfg_add_file(s, ACPI_HW_ERROR_FW_CFG_FILE, hardware_error->data,
                     hardware_error->len);
 
-    /* Create a read-write fw_cfg file for Address */
-    fw_cfg_add_file_callback(s, ACPI_HW_ERROR_ADDR_FW_CFG_FILE, NULL, NULL,
-        NULL, &(ags->hw_error_le), sizeof(ags->hw_error_le), false);
-
-    ags->present = true;
+    if (!ags->use_hest_addr) {
+        /* Create a read-write fw_cfg file for Address */
+        fw_cfg_add_file_callback(s, ACPI_HW_ERROR_ADDR_FW_CFG_FILE, NULL, NULL,
+            NULL, &(ags->hw_error_le), sizeof(ags->hw_error_le), false);
+    }
 }
 
 static void get_hw_error_offsets(uint64_t ghes_addr,
@@ -411,8 +415,11 @@ void ghes_record_cper_errors(const void *cper, size_t len,
     ags = &acpi_ged_state->ghes_state;
 
     assert(ACPI_GHES_ERROR_SOURCE_COUNT == 1);
-    get_hw_error_offsets(le64_to_cpu(ags->hw_error_le),
-                         &cper_addr, &read_ack_register_addr);
+
+    if (!ags->use_hest_addr) {
+        get_hw_error_offsets(le64_to_cpu(ags->hw_error_le),
+                             &cper_addr, &read_ack_register_addr);
+    }
 
     if (!cper_addr) {
         error_setg(errp, "can not find Generic Error Status Block");
@@ -494,5 +501,8 @@ bool acpi_ghes_present(void)
         return false;
     }
     ags = &acpi_ged_state->ghes_state;
-    return ags->present;
+    if (!ags->hw_error_le)
+        return false;
+
+    return true;
 }
diff --git a/hw/arm/virt-acpi-build.c b/hw/arm/virt-acpi-build.c
index 3ac8f8e17861..8ab8d11b6536 100644
--- a/hw/arm/virt-acpi-build.c
+++ b/hw/arm/virt-acpi-build.c
@@ -946,9 +946,18 @@ void virt_acpi_build(VirtMachineState *vms, AcpiBuildTables *tables)
     build_dbg2(tables_blob, tables->linker, vms);
 
     if (vms->ras) {
-        acpi_add_table(table_offsets, tables_blob);
-        acpi_build_hest(tables_blob, tables->hardware_errors, tables->linker,
-                        vms->oem_id, vms->oem_table_id);
+        AcpiGedState *acpi_ged_state;
+        AcpiGhesState *ags;
+
+        acpi_ged_state = ACPI_GED(object_resolve_path_type("", TYPE_ACPI_GED,
+                                                       NULL));
+        if (acpi_ged_state) {
+            ags = &acpi_ged_state->ghes_state;
+
+            acpi_add_table(table_offsets, tables_blob);
+            acpi_build_hest(ags, tables_blob, tables->hardware_errors,
+                            tables->linker, vms->oem_id, vms->oem_table_id);
+        }
     }
 
     if (ms->numa_state->num_nodes > 0) {
diff --git a/include/hw/acpi/ghes.h b/include/hw/acpi/ghes.h
index 39619a2457cb..a3d62b96584f 100644
--- a/include/hw/acpi/ghes.h
+++ b/include/hw/acpi/ghes.h
@@ -64,12 +64,22 @@ enum {
     ACPI_GHES_ERROR_SOURCE_COUNT
 };
 
+/*
+ * AcpiGhesState stores an offset that will be used to fill HEST entries.
+ *
+ * When use_hest_addr is false, the stored offset is placed at hw_error_le,
+ * meaning an offset from the etc/hardware_errors firmware address. This
+ * is the default on QEMU 9.x.
+ *
+ * An offset value equal to zero means that GHES is not present.
+ */
 typedef struct AcpiGhesState {
     uint64_t hw_error_le;
-    bool present; /* True if GHES is present at all on this board */
+    bool use_hest_addr;         /* Currently, always false */
 } AcpiGhesState;
 
-void acpi_build_hest(GArray *table_data, GArray *hardware_errors,
+void acpi_build_hest(AcpiGhesState *ags, GArray *table_data,
+                     GArray *hardware_errors,
                      BIOSLinker *linker,
                      const char *oem_id, const char *oem_table_id);
 void acpi_ghes_add_fw_cfg(AcpiGhesState *vms, FWCfgState *s,
