diff --git a/hw/ppc/spapr.c b/hw/ppc/spapr.c
index 93d02c1..5b21562 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/spapr.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/spapr.c
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@
 #include "exec/address-spaces.h"
 #include "hw/usb.h"
 #include "qemu/config-file.h"
+#include "qemu/error-report.h"
 
 #include <libfdt.h>
 
@@ -1366,6 +1367,24 @@
     assert(spapr->fdt_skel != NULL);
 }
 
+static int spapr_kvm_type(const char *vm_type)
+{
+    if (!vm_type) {
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    if (!strcmp(vm_type, "HV")) {
+        return 1;
+    }
+
+    if (!strcmp(vm_type, "PR")) {
+        return 2;
+    }
+
+    error_report("Unknown kvm-type specified '%s'", vm_type);
+    exit(1);
+}
+
 static QEMUMachine spapr_machine = {
     .name = "pseries",
     .desc = "pSeries Logical Partition (PAPR compliant)",
@@ -1376,6 +1395,7 @@
     .max_cpus = MAX_CPUS,
     .no_parallel = 1,
     .default_boot_order = NULL,
+    .kvm_type = spapr_kvm_type,
 };
 
 static void spapr_machine_init(void)
diff --git a/include/hw/boards.h b/include/hw/boards.h
index ed6d9f8..c2096e6 100644
--- a/include/hw/boards.h
+++ b/include/hw/boards.h
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@
 
 typedef void QEMUMachineHotAddCPUFunc(const int64_t id, Error **errp);
 
+typedef int QEMUMachineGetKvmtypeFunc(const char *arg);
+
 struct QEMUMachine {
     const char *name;
     const char *alias;
@@ -30,6 +32,7 @@
     QEMUMachineInitFunc *init;
     QEMUMachineResetFunc *reset;
     QEMUMachineHotAddCPUFunc *hot_add_cpu;
+    QEMUMachineGetKvmtypeFunc *kvm_type;
     BlockInterfaceType block_default_type;
     int max_cpus;
     unsigned int no_serial:1,
diff --git a/include/hw/xen/xen.h b/include/hw/xen/xen.h
index 81e5bb1..e181821 100644
--- a/include/hw/xen/xen.h
+++ b/include/hw/xen/xen.h
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@
 
 qemu_irq *xen_interrupt_controller_init(void);
 
-int xen_init(void);
+int xen_init(QEMUMachine *machine);
 int xen_hvm_init(MemoryRegion **ram_memory);
 void xenstore_store_pv_console_info(int i, struct CharDriverState *chr);
 
diff --git a/include/sysemu/kvm.h b/include/sysemu/kvm.h
index c982570..ed01998 100644
--- a/include/sysemu/kvm.h
+++ b/include/sysemu/kvm.h
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@
 
 /* external API */
 
-int kvm_init(void);
+int kvm_init(QEMUMachine *machine);
 
 int kvm_has_sync_mmu(void);
 int kvm_has_vcpu_events(void);
diff --git a/include/sysemu/qtest.h b/include/sysemu/qtest.h
index d6434cd..e62281d 100644
--- a/include/sysemu/qtest.h
+++ b/include/sysemu/qtest.h
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 
 bool qtest_driver(void);
 
-int qtest_init_accel(void);
+int qtest_init_accel(QEMUMachine *machine);
 void qtest_init(const char *qtest_chrdev, const char *qtest_log, Error **errp);
 
 static inline int qtest_available(void)
diff --git a/kvm-all.c b/kvm-all.c
index fd8157a..87fe482 100644
--- a/kvm-all.c
+++ b/kvm-all.c
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@
 #include "qemu/event_notifier.h"
 #include "trace.h"
 
+#include "hw/boards.h"
+
 /* This check must be after config-host.h is included */
 #ifdef CONFIG_EVENTFD
 #include <sys/eventfd.h>
@@ -1339,7 +1341,7 @@
     return (ret) ? ret : kvm_recommended_vcpus(s);
 }
 
-int kvm_init(void)
+int kvm_init(QEMUMachine *machine)
 {
     static const char upgrade_note[] =
         "Please upgrade to at least kernel 2.6.29 or recent kvm-kmod\n"
@@ -1356,7 +1358,8 @@
     KVMState *s;
     const KVMCapabilityInfo *missing_cap;
     int ret;
-    int i;
+    int i, type = 0;
+    const char *kvm_type;
 
     s = g_malloc0(sizeof(KVMState));
 
@@ -1430,8 +1433,16 @@
         nc++;
     }
 
+    kvm_type = qemu_opt_get(qemu_get_machine_opts(), "kvm-type");
+    if (machine->kvm_type) {
+        type = machine->kvm_type(kvm_type);
+    } else if (kvm_type) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Invalid argument kvm-type=%s\n", kvm_type);
+        goto err;
+    }
+
     do {
-        ret = kvm_ioctl(s, KVM_CREATE_VM, 0);
+        ret = kvm_ioctl(s, KVM_CREATE_VM, type);
     } while (ret == -EINTR);
 
     if (ret < 0) {
diff --git a/kvm-stub.c b/kvm-stub.c
index b1c4429..4ef084e 100644
--- a/kvm-stub.c
+++ b/kvm-stub.c
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@
     return -ENOSYS;
 }
 
-int kvm_init(void)
+int kvm_init(QEMUMachine *machine)
 {
     return -ENOSYS;
 }
diff --git a/qtest.c b/qtest.c
index ae941d6..0ac9f42 100644
--- a/qtest.c
+++ b/qtest.c
@@ -500,7 +500,7 @@
     }
 }
 
-int qtest_init_accel(void)
+int qtest_init_accel(QEMUMachine *machine)
 {
     configure_icount("0");
 
diff --git a/vl.c b/vl.c
index 685a7a9..41581c1 100644
--- a/vl.c
+++ b/vl.c
@@ -374,6 +374,10 @@
             .name = "firmware",
             .type = QEMU_OPT_STRING,
             .help = "firmware image",
+        },{
+            .name = "kvm-type",
+            .type = QEMU_OPT_STRING,
+            .help = "Specifies the KVM virtualization mode (HV, PR)",
         },
         { /* End of list */ }
     },
@@ -2578,7 +2582,7 @@
     exit(!name || !is_help_option(name));
 }
 
-static int tcg_init(void)
+static int tcg_init(QEMUMachine *machine)
 {
     tcg_exec_init(tcg_tb_size * 1024 * 1024);
     return 0;
@@ -2588,7 +2592,7 @@
     const char *opt_name;
     const char *name;
     int (*available)(void);
-    int (*init)(void);
+    int (*init)(QEMUMachine *);
     bool *allowed;
 } accel_list[] = {
     { "tcg", "tcg", tcg_available, tcg_init, &tcg_allowed },
@@ -2597,7 +2601,7 @@
     { "qtest", "QTest", qtest_available, qtest_init_accel, &qtest_allowed },
 };
 
-static int configure_accelerator(void)
+static int configure_accelerator(QEMUMachine *machine)
 {
     const char *p;
     char buf[10];
@@ -2624,7 +2628,7 @@
                     continue;
                 }
                 *(accel_list[i].allowed) = true;
-                ret = accel_list[i].init();
+                ret = accel_list[i].init(machine);
                 if (ret < 0) {
                     init_failed = true;
                     fprintf(stderr, "failed to initialize %s: %s\n",
@@ -4053,7 +4057,7 @@
         exit(0);
     }
 
-    configure_accelerator();
+    configure_accelerator(machine);
 
     if (qtest_chrdev) {
         Error *local_err = NULL;
diff --git a/xen-all.c b/xen-all.c
index 4a594bd..ba34739 100644
--- a/xen-all.c
+++ b/xen-all.c
@@ -1001,7 +1001,7 @@
     xs_daemon_close(state->xenstore);
 }
 
-int xen_init(void)
+int xen_init(QEMUMachine *machine)
 {
     xen_xc = xen_xc_interface_open(0, 0, 0);
     if (xen_xc == XC_HANDLER_INITIAL_VALUE) {
diff --git a/xen-stub.c b/xen-stub.c
index ad189a6..59927cb 100644
--- a/xen-stub.c
+++ b/xen-stub.c
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@
     return NULL;
 }
 
-int xen_init(void)
+int xen_init(QEMUMachine *machine)
 {
     return -ENOSYS;
 }