diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index bcb9d39a387..49a050a28a3 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -3807,6 +3807,9 @@ endif
 common_ss.add(pagevary)
 specific_ss.add(files('page-target.c', 'page-vary-target.c'))
 
+common_ss.add(files('target_info.c'))
+specific_ss.add(files('target_info-stub.c'))
+
 subdir('backends')
 subdir('disas')
 subdir('migration')
diff --git a/include/hw/core/cpu.h b/include/hw/core/cpu.h
index 5b645df59f5..9d9448341d1 100644
--- a/include/hw/core/cpu.h
+++ b/include/hw/core/cpu.h
@@ -1115,8 +1115,6 @@ bool cpu_exec_realizefn(CPUState *cpu, Error **errp);
 void cpu_exec_unrealizefn(CPUState *cpu);
 void cpu_exec_reset_hold(CPUState *cpu);
 
-const char *target_name(void);
-
 #ifdef COMPILING_PER_TARGET
 
 extern const VMStateDescription vmstate_cpu_common;
diff --git a/include/qemu/target_info-impl.h b/include/qemu/target_info-impl.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d5c94ed5296
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/qemu/target_info-impl.h
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+/*
+ * QEMU binary/target API ...
+ *
+ *  Copyright (c) Linaro
+ *
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+ */
+
+#ifndef QEMU_TARGET_INFO_IMPL_H
+#define QEMU_TARGET_INFO_IMPL_H
+
+#include "qemu/target_info.h"
+
+typedef struct TargetInfo {
+
+    /* runtime equivalent of TARGET_NAME definition */
+    const char *const name;
+
+} TargetInfo;
+
+const TargetInfo *target_info(void);
+
+#endif
diff --git a/include/qemu/target_info.h b/include/qemu/target_info.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..3f6cbbbd300
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/qemu/target_info.h
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+/*
+ * QEMU binary/target API
+ *
+ *  Copyright (c) Linaro
+ *
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+ */
+
+#ifndef QEMU_TARGET_INFO_H
+#define QEMU_TARGET_INFO_H
+
+/**
+ * target_name:
+ *
+ * Returns: Canonical target name (i.e. "i386").
+ */
+const char *target_name(void);
+
+#endif
diff --git a/cpu-target.c b/cpu-target.c
index c99d208a7c4..3f82d3ea444 100644
--- a/cpu-target.c
+++ b/cpu-target.c
@@ -165,8 +165,3 @@ bool target_words_bigendian(void)
 {
     return TARGET_BIG_ENDIAN;
 }
-
-const char *target_name(void)
-{
-    return TARGET_NAME;
-}
diff --git a/hw/core/machine-qmp-cmds.c b/hw/core/machine-qmp-cmds.c
index 408994b67d7..b317aec234f 100644
--- a/hw/core/machine-qmp-cmds.c
+++ b/hw/core/machine-qmp-cmds.c
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 #include "qapi/qobject-input-visitor.h"
 #include "qapi/type-helpers.h"
 #include "qemu/uuid.h"
+#include "qemu/target_info.h"
 #include "qom/qom-qobject.h"
 #include "system/hostmem.h"
 #include "system/hw_accel.h"
diff --git a/plugins/loader.c b/plugins/loader.c
index 7523d554f03..36a4e88d4db 100644
--- a/plugins/loader.c
+++ b/plugins/loader.c
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 #include "qemu/xxhash.h"
 #include "qemu/plugin.h"
 #include "qemu/memalign.h"
-#include "hw/core/cpu.h"
+#include "qemu/target_info.h"
 #include "exec/tb-flush.h"
 
 #include "plugin.h"
diff --git a/system/vl.c b/system/vl.c
index c17945c4939..d8a0fe713c9 100644
--- a/system/vl.c
+++ b/system/vl.c
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@
 #include "qemu/help_option.h"
 #include "qemu/hw-version.h"
 #include "qemu/uuid.h"
+#include "qemu/target_info.h"
 #include "system/reset.h"
 #include "system/runstate.h"
 #include "system/runstate-action.h"
@@ -79,7 +80,6 @@
 #include "hw/block/block.h"
 #include "hw/i386/x86.h"
 #include "hw/i386/pc.h"
-#include "hw/core/cpu.h"
 #include "migration/cpr.h"
 #include "migration/misc.h"
 #include "migration/snapshot.h"
diff --git a/target_info-stub.c b/target_info-stub.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1e44bb6f6fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/target_info-stub.c
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+/*
+ * QEMU target info stubs
+ *
+ *  Copyright (c) Linaro
+ *
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+ */
+
+#include "qemu/osdep.h"
+#include "qemu/target_info-impl.h"
+
+static const TargetInfo target_info_stub = {
+    .name = TARGET_NAME,
+};
+
+const TargetInfo *target_info(void)
+{
+    return &target_info_stub;
+}
diff --git a/target_info.c b/target_info.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..877a6a15014
--- /dev/null
+++ b/target_info.c
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+/*
+ * QEMU binary/target helpers
+ *
+ *  Copyright (c) Linaro
+ *
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+ */
+
+#include "qemu/osdep.h"
+#include "qemu/target_info-impl.h"
+#include "qemu/target_info.h"
+
+const char *target_name(void)
+{
+    return target_info()->name;
+}
