diff --git a/drivers/iommu/iommufd/Kconfig b/drivers/iommu/iommufd/Kconfig
index 76656fe0470d..0a07f9449fd9 100644
--- a/drivers/iommu/iommufd/Kconfig
+++ b/drivers/iommu/iommufd/Kconfig
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
+config IOMMUFD_DRIVER_CORE
+	tristate
+	default (IOMMUFD_DRIVER || IOMMUFD) if IOMMUFD!=n
+
 config IOMMUFD
 	tristate "IOMMU Userspace API"
 	select INTERVAL_TREE
diff --git a/drivers/iommu/iommufd/Makefile b/drivers/iommu/iommufd/Makefile
index cf4605962bea..de675df52913 100644
--- a/drivers/iommu/iommufd/Makefile
+++ b/drivers/iommu/iommufd/Makefile
@@ -13,3 +13,4 @@ iommufd-$(CONFIG_IOMMUFD_TEST) += selftest.o
 
 obj-$(CONFIG_IOMMUFD) += iommufd.o
 obj-$(CONFIG_IOMMUFD_DRIVER) += iova_bitmap.o
+obj-$(CONFIG_IOMMUFD_DRIVER_CORE) += driver.o
diff --git a/drivers/iommu/iommufd/iommufd_private.h b/drivers/iommu/iommufd/iommufd_private.h
index 94cfcab7e9de..be347f726fda 100644
--- a/drivers/iommu/iommufd/iommufd_private.h
+++ b/drivers/iommu/iommufd/iommufd_private.h
@@ -206,10 +206,6 @@ iommufd_object_put_and_try_destroy(struct iommufd_ctx *ictx,
 	iommufd_object_remove(ictx, obj, obj->id, 0);
 }
 
-struct iommufd_object *_iommufd_object_alloc(struct iommufd_ctx *ictx,
-					     size_t size,
-					     enum iommufd_object_type type);
-
 #define __iommufd_object_alloc(ictx, ptr, type, obj)                           \
 	container_of(_iommufd_object_alloc(                                    \
 			     ictx,                                             \
diff --git a/include/linux/iommufd.h b/include/linux/iommufd.h
index 22948dd03d67..94522d4029ca 100644
--- a/include/linux/iommufd.h
+++ b/include/linux/iommufd.h
@@ -135,4 +135,17 @@ static inline int iommufd_vfio_compat_set_no_iommu(struct iommufd_ctx *ictx)
 	return -EOPNOTSUPP;
 }
 #endif /* CONFIG_IOMMUFD */
+
+#if IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_IOMMUFD_DRIVER_CORE)
+struct iommufd_object *_iommufd_object_alloc(struct iommufd_ctx *ictx,
+					     size_t size,
+					     enum iommufd_object_type type);
+#else /* !CONFIG_IOMMUFD_DRIVER_CORE */
+static inline struct iommufd_object *
+_iommufd_object_alloc(struct iommufd_ctx *ictx, size_t size,
+		      enum iommufd_object_type type)
+{
+	return ERR_PTR(-EOPNOTSUPP);
+}
+#endif /* CONFIG_IOMMUFD_DRIVER_CORE */
 #endif
diff --git a/drivers/iommu/iommufd/driver.c b/drivers/iommu/iommufd/driver.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..2bc47d92a0ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/drivers/iommu/iommufd/driver.c
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
+/* Copyright (c) 2024, NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES
+ */
+#include "iommufd_private.h"
+
+struct iommufd_object *_iommufd_object_alloc(struct iommufd_ctx *ictx,
+					     size_t size,
+					     enum iommufd_object_type type)
+{
+	struct iommufd_object *obj;
+	int rc;
+
+	obj = kzalloc(size, GFP_KERNEL_ACCOUNT);
+	if (!obj)
+		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
+	obj->type = type;
+	/* Starts out bias'd by 1 until it is removed from the xarray */
+	refcount_set(&obj->shortterm_users, 1);
+	refcount_set(&obj->users, 1);
+
+	/*
+	 * Reserve an ID in the xarray but do not publish the pointer yet since
+	 * the caller hasn't initialized it yet. Once the pointer is published
+	 * in the xarray and visible to other threads we can't reliably destroy
+	 * it anymore, so the caller must complete all errorable operations
+	 * before calling iommufd_object_finalize().
+	 */
+	rc = xa_alloc(&ictx->objects, &obj->id, XA_ZERO_ENTRY, xa_limit_31b,
+		      GFP_KERNEL_ACCOUNT);
+	if (rc)
+		goto out_free;
+	return obj;
+out_free:
+	kfree(obj);
+	return ERR_PTR(rc);
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_NS_GPL(_iommufd_object_alloc, IOMMUFD);
+
+MODULE_DESCRIPTION("iommufd code shared with builtin modules");
+MODULE_LICENSE("GPL");
diff --git a/drivers/iommu/iommufd/main.c b/drivers/iommu/iommufd/main.c
index 826a2b2be52f..3c32b440471b 100644
--- a/drivers/iommu/iommufd/main.c
+++ b/drivers/iommu/iommufd/main.c
@@ -29,38 +29,6 @@ struct iommufd_object_ops {
 static const struct iommufd_object_ops iommufd_object_ops[];
 static struct miscdevice vfio_misc_dev;
 
-struct iommufd_object *_iommufd_object_alloc(struct iommufd_ctx *ictx,
-					     size_t size,
-					     enum iommufd_object_type type)
-{
-	struct iommufd_object *obj;
-	int rc;
-
-	obj = kzalloc(size, GFP_KERNEL_ACCOUNT);
-	if (!obj)
-		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
-	obj->type = type;
-	/* Starts out bias'd by 1 until it is removed from the xarray */
-	refcount_set(&obj->shortterm_users, 1);
-	refcount_set(&obj->users, 1);
-
-	/*
-	 * Reserve an ID in the xarray but do not publish the pointer yet since
-	 * the caller hasn't initialized it yet. Once the pointer is published
-	 * in the xarray and visible to other threads we can't reliably destroy
-	 * it anymore, so the caller must complete all errorable operations
-	 * before calling iommufd_object_finalize().
-	 */
-	rc = xa_alloc(&ictx->objects, &obj->id, XA_ZERO_ENTRY,
-		      xa_limit_31b, GFP_KERNEL_ACCOUNT);
-	if (rc)
-		goto out_free;
-	return obj;
-out_free:
-	kfree(obj);
-	return ERR_PTR(rc);
-}
-
 /*
  * Allow concurrent access to the object.
  *
