diff --git a/board/armltd/vexpress64/vexpress64.c b/board/armltd/vexpress64/vexpress64.c
index de6286435d97..876cb678eb03 100644
--- a/board/armltd/vexpress64/vexpress64.c
+++ b/board/armltd/vexpress64/vexpress64.c
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 #include <netdev.h>
 #include <asm/io.h>
 #include <linux/compiler.h>
-#include <asm/semihosting.h>
 
 DECLARE_GLOBAL_DATA_PTR;
 
@@ -33,101 +32,6 @@ void reset_cpu(ulong addr)
 {
 }
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_BOARD_LATE_INIT
-int board_late_init(void)
-{
-#ifdef CONFIG_SEMIHOSTING
-	/*
-	 * Please refer to doc/README.semihosting for a more complete
-	 * description.
-	 *
-	 * We require that the board include file defines these env variables:
-	 * - kernel_name
-	 * - kernel_addr_r
-	 * - initrd_name
-	 * - initrd_addr_r
-	 * - fdt_name
-	 * - fdt_addr_r
-	 *
-	 * For the "fdt chosen" startup macro, this code will then define:
-	 * - initrd_end (based on initrd_addr_r plus actual initrd_size)
-	 *
-	 * We will then load the kernel, initrd, and fdt into the specified
-	 * locations in memory in a similar way that the ATF fastmodel code
-	 * uses semihosting calls to load other boot stages and u-boot itself.
-	 */
-
-	/* Env variable strings */
-	char *kernel_name = getenv("kernel_name");
-	char *kernel_addr_str = getenv("kernel_addr_r");
-	char *initrd_name = getenv("initrd_name");
-	char *initrd_addr_str = getenv("initrd_addr_r");
-	char *fdt_name = getenv("fdt_name");
-	char *fdt_addr_str = getenv("fdt_addr_r");
-	char initrd_end_str[64];
-
-	/* Actual addresses converted from env variables */
-	void *kernel_addr_r;
-	void *initrd_addr_r;
-	void *fdt_addr_r;
-
-	/* Actual initrd base and size */
-	unsigned long initrd_base;
-	unsigned long initrd_size;
-
-	/* Space available */
-	int avail;
-
-	/* Make sure the environment variables needed are set */
-	if (!(kernel_addr_str && initrd_addr_str && fdt_addr_str)) {
-		printf("%s: Define {kernel/initrd/fdt}_addr_r\n", __func__);
-		return -1;
-	}
-	if (!(kernel_name && initrd_name && fdt_name)) {
-		printf("%s: Define {kernel/initrd/fdt}_name\n", __func__);
-		return -1;
-	}
-
-	/* Get exact initrd_size */
-	initrd_size = smh_len(initrd_name);
-	if (initrd_size == -1) {
-		printf("%s: Can't get file size for \'%s\'\n", __func__,
-		       initrd_name);
-		return -1;
-	}
-
-	/* Set initrd_end */
-	initrd_base = simple_strtoul(initrd_addr_str, NULL, 16);
-	initrd_addr_r = (void *)initrd_base;
-	sprintf(initrd_end_str, "0x%lx", initrd_base + initrd_size - 1);
-	setenv("initrd_end", initrd_end_str);
-
-	/* Load kernel to memory */
-	fdt_addr_r = (void *)simple_strtoul(fdt_addr_str, NULL, 16);
-	kernel_addr_r = (void *)simple_strtoul(kernel_addr_str, NULL, 16);
-
-	/*
-	 * The kernel must be lower in memory than fdt and loading the
-	 * kernel must not trample the fdt or vice versa.
-	 */
-	avail = fdt_addr_r - kernel_addr_r;
-	if (avail < 0) {
-		printf("%s: fdt must be after kernel\n", __func__);
-		return -1;
-	}
-	smh_load(kernel_name, kernel_addr_r, avail, 1);
-
-	/* Load fdt to memory */
-	smh_load(fdt_name, fdt_addr_r, 0x20000, 1);
-
-	/* Load initrd to memory */
-	smh_load(initrd_name, initrd_addr_r, initrd_size, 1);
-
-#endif				/* CONFIG_SEMIHOSTING */
-	return 0;
-}
-#endif				/* CONFIG_BOARD_LATE_INIT */
-
 /*
  * Board specific ethernet initialization routine.
  */
diff --git a/include/configs/vexpress_aemv8a.h b/include/configs/vexpress_aemv8a.h
index e6fc2aeea2b8..cda89d8ca814 100644
--- a/include/configs/vexpress_aemv8a.h
+++ b/include/configs/vexpress_aemv8a.h
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@
 #ifndef CONFIG_SEMIHOSTING
 #error CONFIG_TARGET_VEXPRESS64_BASE_FVP requires CONFIG_SEMIHOSTING
 #endif
-#define CONFIG_BOARD_LATE_INIT
 #define CONFIG_ARMV8_SWITCH_TO_EL1
 #endif
 
@@ -228,11 +227,11 @@
 #elif CONFIG_TARGET_VEXPRESS64_BASE_FVP
 #define CONFIG_EXTRA_ENV_SETTINGS	\
 				"kernel_name=uImage\0"	\
-				"kernel_addr_r=0x80000000\0"	\
+				"kernel_addr=0x80000000\0"	\
 				"initrd_name=ramdisk.img\0"	\
-				"initrd_addr_r=0x88000000\0"	\
-				"fdt_name=devtree.dtb\0"		\
-				"fdt_addr_r=0x83000000\0" \
+				"initrd_addr=0x88000000\0"	\
+				"fdt_name=devtree.dtb\0"	\
+				"fdt_addr=0x83000000\0"		\
 				"fdt_high=0xffffffffffffffff\0"	\
 				"initrd_high=0xffffffffffffffff\0"
 
@@ -240,9 +239,12 @@
 				"0x1c090000 debug user_debug=31 "\
 				"loglevel=9"
 
-#define CONFIG_BOOTCOMMAND	"fdt addr $fdt_addr_r; fdt resize; " \
-				"fdt chosen $initrd_addr_r $initrd_end; " \
-				"bootm $kernel_addr_r - $fdt_addr_r"
+#define CONFIG_BOOTCOMMAND	"smhload ${kernel_name} ${kernel_addr}; " \
+				"smhload ${fdt_name} $fdt_addr; " \
+				"smhload ${initrd_name} $initrd_addr initrd_end; " \
+				"fdt addr $fdt_addr; fdt resize; " \
+				"fdt chosen $initrd_addr $initrd_end; " \
+				"bootm $kernel_addr - $fdt_addr"
 
 #define CONFIG_BOOTDELAY		1
 
