diff --git a/backends/confidential-guest-support.c b/backends/confidential-guest-support.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..052fde8db0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backends/confidential-guest-support.c
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+/*
+ * QEMU Confidential Guest support
+ *
+ * Copyright Red Hat.
+ *
+ * Authors:
+ *  David Gibson <david@gibson.dropbear.id.au>
+ *
+ * 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 "exec/confidential-guest-support.h"
+
+OBJECT_DEFINE_ABSTRACT_TYPE(ConfidentialGuestSupport,
+                            confidential_guest_support,
+                            CONFIDENTIAL_GUEST_SUPPORT,
+                            OBJECT)
+
+static void confidential_guest_support_class_init(ObjectClass *oc, void *data)
+{
+}
+
+static void confidential_guest_support_init(Object *obj)
+{
+}
+
+static void confidential_guest_support_finalize(Object *obj)
+{
+}
diff --git a/backends/meson.build b/backends/meson.build
index 484456ece7..d4221831fc 100644
--- a/backends/meson.build
+++ b/backends/meson.build
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ softmmu_ss.add([files(
   'rng-builtin.c',
   'rng-egd.c',
   'rng.c',
+  'confidential-guest-support.c',
 ), numa])
 
 softmmu_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_POSIX', if_true: files('rng-random.c'))
diff --git a/include/exec/confidential-guest-support.h b/include/exec/confidential-guest-support.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3db6380e63
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/exec/confidential-guest-support.h
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+/*
+ * QEMU Confidential Guest support
+ *   This interface describes the common pieces between various
+ *   schemes for protecting guest memory or other state against a
+ *   compromised hypervisor.  This includes memory encryption (AMD's
+ *   SEV and Intel's MKTME) or special protection modes (PEF on POWER,
+ *   or PV on s390x).
+ *
+ * Copyright Red Hat.
+ *
+ * Authors:
+ *  David Gibson <david@gibson.dropbear.id.au>
+ *
+ * This work is licensed under the terms of the GNU GPL, version 2 or
+ * later.  See the COPYING file in the top-level directory.
+ *
+ */
+#ifndef QEMU_CONFIDENTIAL_GUEST_SUPPORT_H
+#define QEMU_CONFIDENTIAL_GUEST_SUPPORT_H
+
+#ifndef CONFIG_USER_ONLY
+
+#include "qom/object.h"
+
+#define TYPE_CONFIDENTIAL_GUEST_SUPPORT "confidential-guest-support"
+OBJECT_DECLARE_SIMPLE_TYPE(ConfidentialGuestSupport, CONFIDENTIAL_GUEST_SUPPORT)
+
+struct ConfidentialGuestSupport {
+    Object parent;
+};
+
+typedef struct ConfidentialGuestSupportClass {
+    ObjectClass parent;
+} ConfidentialGuestSupportClass;
+
+#endif /* !CONFIG_USER_ONLY */
+
+#endif /* QEMU_CONFIDENTIAL_GUEST_SUPPORT_H */
diff --git a/include/qemu/typedefs.h b/include/qemu/typedefs.h
index 68deb74ef6..dc39b05c30 100644
--- a/include/qemu/typedefs.h
+++ b/include/qemu/typedefs.h
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ typedef struct Chardev Chardev;
 typedef struct Clock Clock;
 typedef struct CompatProperty CompatProperty;
 typedef struct CoMutex CoMutex;
+typedef struct ConfidentialGuestSupport ConfidentialGuestSupport;
 typedef struct CPUAddressSpace CPUAddressSpace;
 typedef struct CPUState CPUState;
 typedef struct DeviceListener DeviceListener;
diff --git a/target/i386/sev.c b/target/i386/sev.c
index 1546606811..b738dc45b6 100644
--- a/target/i386/sev.c
+++ b/target/i386/sev.c
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 #include "qom/object.h"
 #include "exec/address-spaces.h"
 #include "monitor/monitor.h"
+#include "exec/confidential-guest-support.h"
 
 #define TYPE_SEV_GUEST "sev-guest"
 OBJECT_DECLARE_SIMPLE_TYPE(SevGuestState, SEV_GUEST)
@@ -47,7 +48,7 @@ OBJECT_DECLARE_SIMPLE_TYPE(SevGuestState, SEV_GUEST)
  *         -machine ...,memory-encryption=sev0
  */
 struct SevGuestState {
-    Object parent_obj;
+    ConfidentialGuestSupport parent_obj;
 
     /* configuration parameters */
     char *sev_device;
@@ -322,7 +323,7 @@ sev_guest_instance_init(Object *obj)
 
 /* sev guest info */
 static const TypeInfo sev_guest_info = {
-    .parent = TYPE_OBJECT,
+    .parent = TYPE_CONFIDENTIAL_GUEST_SUPPORT,
     .name = TYPE_SEV_GUEST,
     .instance_size = sizeof(SevGuestState),
     .instance_finalize = sev_guest_finalize,