diff --git a/target/i386/sev.c b/target/i386/sev.c
index b6ed719fb5..b4ab9720d6 100644
--- a/target/i386/sev.c
+++ b/target/i386/sev.c
@@ -35,30 +35,7 @@
 
 typedef struct SevGuestState SevGuestState;
 
-/**
- * SevGuestState:
- *
- * The SevGuestState object is used for creating and managing a SEV
- * guest.
- *
- * # $QEMU \
- *         -object sev-guest,id=sev0 \
- *         -machine ...,memory-encryption=sev0
- */
-struct SevGuestState {
-    Object parent_obj;
-
-    char *sev_device;
-    uint32_t policy;
-    uint32_t handle;
-    char *dh_cert_file;
-    char *session_file;
-    uint32_t cbitpos;
-    uint32_t reduced_phys_bits;
-};
-
 struct SEVState {
-    SevGuestState *sev_info;
     uint8_t api_major;
     uint8_t api_minor;
     uint8_t build_id;
@@ -74,6 +51,32 @@ struct SEVState {
 
 typedef struct SEVState SEVState;
 
+/**
+ * SevGuestState:
+ *
+ * The SevGuestState object is used for creating and managing a SEV
+ * guest.
+ *
+ * # $QEMU \
+ *         -object sev-guest,id=sev0 \
+ *         -machine ...,memory-encryption=sev0
+ */
+struct SevGuestState {
+    Object parent_obj;
+
+    /* configuration parameters */
+    char *sev_device;
+    uint32_t policy;
+    uint32_t handle;
+    char *dh_cert_file;
+    char *session_file;
+    uint32_t cbitpos;
+    uint32_t reduced_phys_bits;
+
+    /* runtime state */
+    SEVState state;
+};
+
 #define DEFAULT_GUEST_POLICY    0x1 /* disable debug */
 #define DEFAULT_SEV_DEVICE      "/dev/sev"
 
@@ -506,12 +509,12 @@ sev_read_file_base64(const char *filename, guchar **data, gsize *len)
 }
 
 static int
-sev_launch_start(SEVState *s)
+sev_launch_start(SevGuestState *sev)
 {
+    SEVState *s = &sev->state;
     gsize sz;
     int ret = 1;
     int fw_error, rc;
-    SevGuestState *sev = s->sev_info;
     struct kvm_sev_launch_start *start;
     guchar *session = NULL, *dh_cert = NULL;
 
@@ -686,6 +689,7 @@ sev_vm_state_change(void *opaque, int running, RunState state)
 void *
 sev_guest_init(const char *id)
 {
+    SevGuestState *sev;
     SEVState *s;
     char *devname;
     int ret, fw_error;
@@ -693,27 +697,27 @@ sev_guest_init(const char *id)
     uint32_t host_cbitpos;
     struct sev_user_data_status status = {};
 
-    sev_state = s = g_new0(SEVState, 1);
-    s->sev_info = lookup_sev_guest_info(id);
-    if (!s->sev_info) {
+    sev = lookup_sev_guest_info(id);
+    if (!sev) {
         error_report("%s: '%s' is not a valid '%s' object",
                      __func__, id, TYPE_SEV_GUEST);
         goto err;
     }
 
+    sev_state = s = &sev->state;
     s->state = SEV_STATE_UNINIT;
 
     host_cpuid(0x8000001F, 0, NULL, &ebx, NULL, NULL);
     host_cbitpos = ebx & 0x3f;
 
-    s->cbitpos = object_property_get_int(OBJECT(s->sev_info), "cbitpos", NULL);
+    s->cbitpos = object_property_get_int(OBJECT(sev), "cbitpos", NULL);
     if (host_cbitpos != s->cbitpos) {
         error_report("%s: cbitpos check failed, host '%d' requested '%d'",
                      __func__, host_cbitpos, s->cbitpos);
         goto err;
     }
 
-    s->reduced_phys_bits = object_property_get_int(OBJECT(s->sev_info),
+    s->reduced_phys_bits = object_property_get_int(OBJECT(sev),
                                         "reduced-phys-bits", NULL);
     if (s->reduced_phys_bits < 1) {
         error_report("%s: reduced_phys_bits check failed, it should be >=1,"
@@ -723,7 +727,7 @@ sev_guest_init(const char *id)
 
     s->me_mask = ~(1UL << s->cbitpos);
 
-    devname = object_property_get_str(OBJECT(s->sev_info), "sev-device", NULL);
+    devname = object_property_get_str(OBJECT(sev), "sev-device", NULL);
     s->sev_fd = open(devname, O_RDWR);
     if (s->sev_fd < 0) {
         error_report("%s: Failed to open %s '%s'", __func__,
@@ -754,7 +758,7 @@ sev_guest_init(const char *id)
         goto err;
     }
 
-    ret = sev_launch_start(s);
+    ret = sev_launch_start(sev);
     if (ret) {
         error_report("%s: failed to create encryption context", __func__);
         goto err;