diff --git a/hw/intc/xics.c b/hw/intc/xics.c
index e70d3b8b1095..9f22814815c9 100644
--- a/hw/intc/xics.c
+++ b/hw/intc/xics.c
@@ -151,67 +151,11 @@ static void xics_common_reset(DeviceState *d)
     }
 }
 
-void xics_set_nr_servers(XICSState *xics, uint32_t nr_servers,
-                         const char *typename, Error **errp)
-{
-    int i;
-
-    xics->nr_servers = nr_servers;
-
-    xics->ss = g_malloc0(xics->nr_servers * sizeof(ICPState));
-    for (i = 0; i < xics->nr_servers; i++) {
-        char name[32];
-        ICPState *icp = &xics->ss[i];
-
-        object_initialize(icp, sizeof(*icp), typename);
-        snprintf(name, sizeof(name), "icp[%d]", i);
-        object_property_add_child(OBJECT(xics), name, OBJECT(icp), errp);
-        icp->xics = xics;
-    }
-}
-
-static void xics_prop_get_nr_servers(Object *obj, Visitor *v,
-                                     const char *name, void *opaque,
-                                     Error **errp)
-{
-    XICSState *xics = XICS_COMMON(obj);
-    int64_t value = xics->nr_servers;
-
-    visit_type_int(v, name, &value, errp);
-}
-
-static void xics_prop_set_nr_servers(Object *obj, Visitor *v,
-                                     const char *name, void *opaque,
-                                     Error **errp)
-{
-    XICSState *xics = XICS_COMMON(obj);
-    XICSStateClass *xsc = XICS_COMMON_GET_CLASS(xics);
-    Error *error = NULL;
-    int64_t value;
-
-    visit_type_int(v, name, &value, &error);
-    if (error) {
-        error_propagate(errp, error);
-        return;
-    }
-    if (xics->nr_servers) {
-        error_setg(errp, "Number of servers is already set to %u",
-                   xics->nr_servers);
-        return;
-    }
-
-    assert(xsc->set_nr_servers);
-    xsc->set_nr_servers(xics, value, errp);
-}
-
 static void xics_common_initfn(Object *obj)
 {
     XICSState *xics = XICS_COMMON(obj);
 
     QLIST_INIT(&xics->ics);
-    object_property_add(obj, "nr_servers", "int",
-                        xics_prop_get_nr_servers, xics_prop_set_nr_servers,
-                        NULL, NULL, NULL);
 }
 
 static void xics_common_class_init(ObjectClass *oc, void *data)
@@ -450,12 +394,30 @@ static void icp_reset(DeviceState *dev)
     qemu_set_irq(icp->output, 0);
 }
 
+static void icp_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
+{
+    ICPState *icp = ICP(dev);
+    Object *obj;
+    Error *err = NULL;
+
+    obj = object_property_get_link(OBJECT(dev), "xics", &err);
+    if (!obj) {
+        error_setg(errp, "%s: required link 'xics' not found: %s",
+                   __func__, error_get_pretty(err));
+        return;
+    }
+
+    icp->xics = XICS_COMMON(obj);
+}
+
+
 static void icp_class_init(ObjectClass *klass, void *data)
 {
     DeviceClass *dc = DEVICE_CLASS(klass);
 
     dc->reset = icp_reset;
     dc->vmsd = &vmstate_icp_server;
+    dc->realize = icp_realize;
 }
 
 static const TypeInfo icp_info = {
diff --git a/hw/intc/xics_kvm.c b/hw/intc/xics_kvm.c
index 4a6c0522feb6..6cabc11f6be1 100644
--- a/hw/intc/xics_kvm.c
+++ b/hw/intc/xics_kvm.c
@@ -368,12 +368,6 @@ static void xics_kvm_cpu_setup(XICSState *xics, PowerPCCPU *cpu)
     ss->cap_irq_xics_enabled = true;
 }
 
-static void xics_kvm_set_nr_servers(XICSState *xics, uint32_t nr_servers,
-                                    Error **errp)
-{
-    xics_set_nr_servers(xics, nr_servers, TYPE_KVM_ICP, errp);
-}
-
 static void rtas_dummy(PowerPCCPU *cpu, sPAPRMachineState *spapr,
                        uint32_t token,
                        uint32_t nargs, target_ulong args,
@@ -386,9 +380,7 @@ static void rtas_dummy(PowerPCCPU *cpu, sPAPRMachineState *spapr,
 static void xics_kvm_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
 {
     KVMXICSState *xicskvm = XICS_SPAPR_KVM(dev);
-    XICSState *xics = XICS_COMMON(dev);
-    int i, rc;
-    Error *error = NULL;
+    int rc;
     struct kvm_create_device xics_create_device = {
         .type = KVM_DEV_TYPE_XICS,
         .flags = 0,
@@ -438,16 +430,6 @@ static void xics_kvm_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
 
     xicskvm->kernel_xics_fd = xics_create_device.fd;
 
-    assert(xics->nr_servers);
-    for (i = 0; i < xics->nr_servers; i++) {
-        object_property_set_bool(OBJECT(&xics->ss[i]), true, "realized",
-                                 &error);
-        if (error) {
-            error_propagate(errp, error);
-            goto fail;
-        }
-    }
-
     kvm_kernel_irqchip = true;
     kvm_msi_via_irqfd_allowed = true;
     kvm_gsi_direct_mapping = true;
@@ -468,7 +450,6 @@ static void xics_kvm_class_init(ObjectClass *oc, void *data)
 
     dc->realize = xics_kvm_realize;
     xsc->cpu_setup = xics_kvm_cpu_setup;
-    xsc->set_nr_servers = xics_kvm_set_nr_servers;
 }
 
 static const TypeInfo xics_spapr_kvm_info = {
diff --git a/hw/intc/xics_spapr.c b/hw/intc/xics_spapr.c
index 03e42a866603..859b5675e175 100644
--- a/hw/intc/xics_spapr.c
+++ b/hw/intc/xics_spapr.c
@@ -239,23 +239,8 @@ static void rtas_int_on(PowerPCCPU *cpu, sPAPRMachineState *spapr,
     rtas_st(rets, 0, RTAS_OUT_SUCCESS);
 }
 
-static void xics_spapr_set_nr_servers(XICSState *xics, uint32_t nr_servers,
-                                      Error **errp)
-{
-    xics_set_nr_servers(xics, nr_servers, TYPE_ICP, errp);
-}
-
 static void xics_spapr_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
 {
-    XICSState *xics = XICS_SPAPR(dev);
-    Error *error = NULL;
-    int i;
-
-    if (!xics->nr_servers) {
-        error_setg(errp, "Number of servers needs to be greater 0");
-        return;
-    }
-
     /* Registration of global state belongs into realize */
     spapr_rtas_register(RTAS_IBM_SET_XIVE, "ibm,set-xive", rtas_set_xive);
     spapr_rtas_register(RTAS_IBM_GET_XIVE, "ibm,get-xive", rtas_get_xive);
@@ -268,24 +253,13 @@ static void xics_spapr_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
     spapr_register_hypercall(H_XIRR_X, h_xirr_x);
     spapr_register_hypercall(H_EOI, h_eoi);
     spapr_register_hypercall(H_IPOLL, h_ipoll);
-
-    for (i = 0; i < xics->nr_servers; i++) {
-        object_property_set_bool(OBJECT(&xics->ss[i]), true, "realized",
-                                 &error);
-        if (error) {
-            error_propagate(errp, error);
-            return;
-        }
-    }
 }
 
 static void xics_spapr_class_init(ObjectClass *oc, void *data)
 {
     DeviceClass *dc = DEVICE_CLASS(oc);
-    XICSStateClass *xsc = XICS_SPAPR_CLASS(oc);
 
     dc->realize = xics_spapr_realize;
-    xsc->set_nr_servers = xics_spapr_set_nr_servers;
 }
 
 static const TypeInfo xics_spapr_info = {
diff --git a/hw/ppc/spapr.c b/hw/ppc/spapr.c
index 94b1e8e3227a..5d7c35de8cd9 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/spapr.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/spapr.c
@@ -96,17 +96,17 @@
 #define HTAB_SIZE(spapr)        (1ULL << ((spapr)->htab_shift))
 
 static XICSState *try_create_xics(const char *type, const char *type_ics,
-                                  int nr_servers, int nr_irqs, Error **errp)
+                                  const char *type_icp, int nr_servers,
+                                  int nr_irqs, Error **errp)
 {
     Error *err = NULL, *local_err = NULL;
     XICSState *xics;
     ICSState *ics = NULL;
+    int i;
 
     xics = XICS_COMMON(object_new(type));
     qdev_set_parent_bus(DEVICE(xics), sysbus_get_default());
-    object_property_set_int(OBJECT(xics), nr_servers, "nr_servers", &err);
-    object_property_set_bool(OBJECT(xics), true, "realized", &local_err);
-    error_propagate(&err, local_err);
+    object_property_set_bool(OBJECT(xics), true, "realized", &err);
     if (err) {
         goto error;
     }
@@ -122,6 +122,22 @@ static XICSState *try_create_xics(const char *type, const char *type_ics,
     }
     QLIST_INSERT_HEAD(&xics->ics, ics, list);
 
+    xics->ss = g_malloc0(nr_servers * sizeof(ICPState));
+    xics->nr_servers = nr_servers;
+
+    for (i = 0; i < nr_servers; i++) {
+        ICPState *icp = &xics->ss[i];
+
+        object_initialize(icp, sizeof(*icp), type_icp);
+        object_property_add_child(OBJECT(xics), "icp[*]", OBJECT(icp), NULL);
+        object_property_add_const_link(OBJECT(icp), "xics", OBJECT(xics), NULL);
+        object_property_set_bool(OBJECT(icp), true, "realized", &err);
+        if (err) {
+            goto error;
+        }
+        object_unref(OBJECT(icp));
+    }
+
     return xics;
 
 error:
@@ -143,7 +159,7 @@ static XICSState *xics_system_init(MachineState *machine,
 
         if (machine_kernel_irqchip_allowed(machine)) {
             xics = try_create_xics(TYPE_XICS_SPAPR_KVM, TYPE_ICS_KVM,
-                                   nr_servers, nr_irqs, &err);
+                                   TYPE_KVM_ICP, nr_servers, nr_irqs, &err);
         }
         if (machine_kernel_irqchip_required(machine) && !xics) {
             error_reportf_err(err,
@@ -154,8 +170,8 @@ static XICSState *xics_system_init(MachineState *machine,
     }
 
     if (!xics) {
-        xics = try_create_xics(TYPE_XICS_SPAPR, TYPE_ICS_SIMPLE, nr_servers,
-                               nr_irqs, errp);
+        xics = try_create_xics(TYPE_XICS_SPAPR, TYPE_ICS_SIMPLE, TYPE_ICP,
+                               nr_servers, nr_irqs, errp);
     }
 
     return xics;
diff --git a/include/hw/ppc/xics.h b/include/hw/ppc/xics.h
index 8fe3c4d2ceab..fc4abcd4e796 100644
--- a/include/hw/ppc/xics.h
+++ b/include/hw/ppc/xics.h
@@ -74,7 +74,6 @@ struct XICSStateClass {
     DeviceClass parent_class;
 
     void (*cpu_setup)(XICSState *icp, PowerPCCPU *cpu);
-    void (*set_nr_servers)(XICSState *icp, uint32_t nr_servers, Error **errp);
 };
 
 struct XICSState {
@@ -189,8 +188,6 @@ void spapr_dt_xics(XICSState *xics, void *fdt, uint32_t phandle);
 
 void xics_cpu_setup(XICSState *icp, PowerPCCPU *cpu);
 void xics_cpu_destroy(XICSState *icp, PowerPCCPU *cpu);
-void xics_set_nr_servers(XICSState *xics, uint32_t nr_servers,
-                         const char *typename, Error **errp);
 
 /* Internal XICS interfaces */
 int xics_get_cpu_index_by_dt_id(int cpu_dt_id);
