diff --git a/drivers/base/firmware_class.c b/drivers/base/firmware_class.c
index 264b3a2cd8605c298cc1a1f4446edece6c1e63bc..b0be1d18fee23d5c25d865bba20c0a3560546195 100644
--- a/drivers/base/firmware_class.c
+++ b/drivers/base/firmware_class.c
@@ -49,6 +49,14 @@ struct firmware_priv {
 	struct timer_list timeout;
 };
 
+#ifdef CONFIG_FW_LOADER
+extern struct builtin_fw __start_builtin_fw[];
+extern struct builtin_fw __end_builtin_fw[];
+#else /* Module case. Avoid ifdefs later; it'll all optimise out */
+static struct builtin_fw *__start_builtin_fw;
+static struct builtin_fw *__end_builtin_fw;
+#endif
+
 static void
 fw_load_abort(struct firmware_priv *fw_priv)
 {
@@ -391,13 +399,12 @@ _request_firmware(const struct firmware **firmware_p, const char *name,
 	struct device *f_dev;
 	struct firmware_priv *fw_priv;
 	struct firmware *firmware;
+	struct builtin_fw *builtin;
 	int retval;
 
 	if (!firmware_p)
 		return -EINVAL;
 
-	printk(KERN_INFO "firmware: requesting %s\n", name);
-
 	*firmware_p = firmware = kzalloc(sizeof(*firmware), GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (!firmware) {
 		printk(KERN_ERR "%s: kmalloc(struct firmware) failed\n",
@@ -406,6 +413,20 @@ _request_firmware(const struct firmware **firmware_p, const char *name,
 		goto out;
 	}
 
+	for (builtin = __start_builtin_fw; builtin != __end_builtin_fw;
+	     builtin++) {
+		if (strcmp(name, builtin->name))
+			continue;
+		printk(KERN_INFO "firmware: using built-in firmware %s\n",
+		       name);
+		firmware->size = builtin->size;
+		firmware->data = builtin->data;
+		return 0;
+	}
+
+	if (uevent)
+		printk(KERN_INFO "firmware: requesting %s\n", name);
+
 	retval = fw_setup_device(firmware, &f_dev, name, device, uevent);
 	if (retval)
 		goto error_kfree_fw;
@@ -473,8 +494,16 @@ request_firmware(const struct firmware **firmware_p, const char *name,
 void
 release_firmware(const struct firmware *fw)
 {
+	struct builtin_fw *builtin;
+
 	if (fw) {
+		for (builtin = __start_builtin_fw; builtin != __end_builtin_fw;
+		     builtin++) {
+			if (fw->data == builtin->data)
+				goto free_fw;
+		}
 		vfree(fw->data);
+	free_fw:
 		kfree(fw);
 	}
 }
diff --git a/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h b/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h
index f054778e916c08e0b1e7cc85dd028de15b21edb2..8d71a40625f31c96433396749cb549ac280aadd3 100644
--- a/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h
+++ b/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h
@@ -86,6 +86,13 @@
 		VMLINUX_SYMBOL(__end_pci_fixups_resume) = .;		\
 	}								\
 									\
+	/* Built-in firmware blobs */					\
+	.builtin_fw        : AT(ADDR(.builtin_fw) - LOAD_OFFSET) {	\
+		VMLINUX_SYMBOL(__start_builtin_fw) = .;			\
+		*(.builtin_fw)						\
+		VMLINUX_SYMBOL(__end_builtin_fw) = .;			\
+	}								\
+									\
 	/* RapidIO route ops */						\
 	.rio_route        : AT(ADDR(.rio_route) - LOAD_OFFSET) {	\
 		VMLINUX_SYMBOL(__start_rio_route_ops) = .;		\
diff --git a/include/linux/firmware.h b/include/linux/firmware.h
index 88718d60153c0332e1154ccc240cd5c15b46d618..c8ecf5b2a207371d5662234ec4eb9be9d3420c14 100644
--- a/include/linux/firmware.h
+++ b/include/linux/firmware.h
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 #ifndef _LINUX_FIRMWARE_H
 #define _LINUX_FIRMWARE_H
+
 #include <linux/module.h>
 #include <linux/types.h>
+#include <linux/compiler.h>
+
 #define FIRMWARE_NAME_MAX 30 
 #define FW_ACTION_NOHOTPLUG 0
 #define FW_ACTION_HOTPLUG 1
@@ -13,6 +16,24 @@ struct firmware {
 
 struct device;
 
+struct builtin_fw {
+	char *name;
+	void *data;
+	unsigned long size;
+};
+
+/* We have to play tricks here much like stringify() to get the
+   __COUNTER__ macro to be expanded as we want it */
+#define __fw_concat1(x, y) x##y
+#define __fw_concat(x, y) __fw_concat1(x, y)
+
+#define DECLARE_BUILTIN_FIRMWARE(name, blob)				     \
+	DECLARE_BUILTIN_FIRMWARE_SIZE(name, &(blob), sizeof(blob))
+
+#define DECLARE_BUILTIN_FIRMWARE_SIZE(name, blob, size)			     \
+	static const struct builtin_fw __fw_concat(__builtin_fw,__COUNTER__) \
+	__used __section(.builtin_fw) = { name, blob, size }
+
 #if defined(CONFIG_FW_LOADER) || (defined(CONFIG_FW_LOADER_MODULE) && defined(MODULE))
 int request_firmware(const struct firmware **fw, const char *name,
 		     struct device *device);