diff --git a/soc/xtensa/intel_adsp/common/CMakeLists.txt b/soc/xtensa/intel_adsp/common/CMakeLists.txt
index eb65499cb30..9c11124d849 100644
--- a/soc/xtensa/intel_adsp/common/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/soc/xtensa/intel_adsp/common/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ target_link_libraries(INTEL_ADSP_COMMON INTERFACE intel_adsp_common)
 
 set(ELF_FIX ${SOC_DIR}/${ARCH}/${SOC_FAMILY}/common/fix_elf_addrs.py)
 set(KERNEL_REMAPPED ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/zephyr/${KERNEL_NAME}-remapped.elf)
+set(EXTMAN ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/zephyr/extman.bin)
 
 # Generate rimage modules from the base kernel ELF file.  Note the
 # warning squashing on the objcopy steps.  Binutils has a misfeature
@@ -40,6 +41,13 @@ add_custom_target(
   gen_modules ALL
   DEPENDS ${ZEPHYR_FINAL_EXECUTABLE}
 
+  # The .fw_metadata section may not be present (xcc's older linker
+  # will remove it if empty).  Extract it here (which will create an
+  # empty file if not present) and add it back when we generate the
+  # main.mod file below.
+  COMMAND ${CMAKE_OBJCOPY} -O binary --only-section=.fw_metadata
+      ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/zephyr/${KERNEL_NAME}.elf ${EXTMAN}
+
   # Remap uncached section addresses so they appear contiguous
   COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E
       copy ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/zephyr/${KERNEL_NAME}.elf ${KERNEL_REMAPPED}
@@ -48,19 +56,29 @@ add_custom_target(
 
   # Extract modules for rimage
   COMMAND ${CMAKE_OBJCOPY}
-      --only-section .imr*
+      --only-section .imr
+      --only-section .imrdata
       --only-section .module.boot
       --set-section-flags .module.boot=noload,readonly
       --rename-section .module.boot=.module
       ${KERNEL_REMAPPED} ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/zephyr/boot.mod 2>/dev/null
 
+  # Remove .fw_metadata here...
   COMMAND ${CMAKE_OBJCOPY}
-      --remove-section .imr*
+      --remove-section .imr
+      --remove-section .imrdata
       --remove-section .module.boot
+      --remove-section .fw_metadata
       --set-section-flags .module.main=noload,readonly
       --set-section-flags .static_uuid_entries=noload,readonly
       --set-section-flags .static_log_entries=noload,readonly
-      --set-section-flags .fw_metadata=noload,readonly
       --rename-section .module.main=.module
-      ${KERNEL_REMAPPED} ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/zephyr/main.mod 2>/dev/null
+      ${KERNEL_REMAPPED} ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/zephyr/main.mod
+
+  # ...and copy it back in
+  COMMAND ${CMAKE_OBJCOPY}
+      --add-section .fw_metadata=${EXTMAN}
+      --set-section-flags .fw_metadata=noload,readonly
+      ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/zephyr/main.mod
+      ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/zephyr/main.mod
 )
diff --git a/soc/xtensa/intel_adsp/common/include/cavs-link.ld b/soc/xtensa/intel_adsp/common/include/cavs-link.ld
index 9cc7ae42a8f..449656ae1dc 100644
--- a/soc/xtensa/intel_adsp/common/include/cavs-link.ld
+++ b/soc/xtensa/intel_adsp/common/include/cavs-link.ld
@@ -56,6 +56,13 @@ ENTRY(rom_entry);
 #define IDT_BASE 0xe0000000
 #define IDT_SIZE 0x2000
 
+/* rimage module sections are C struct data, and thus flagged ALLOC.
+ * The xcc linker demands they be in a declared memory region even if
+ * the enclosing output section is (NOLOAD).  Put them here.
+ */
+#define NOLOAD_BASE 0x20000
+#define NOLOAD_SIZE 0x100000
+
 MEMORY {
   vector_memory_lit :
 	org = XCHAL_MEMERROR_VECTOR_PADDR + MEM_ERROR_LIT_SIZE,
@@ -139,6 +146,9 @@ MEMORY {
   lpram :
 	org = LP_SRAM_BASE,
 	len = LP_SRAM_SIZE
+  noload :
+        org = NOLOAD_BASE,
+        len = NOLOAD_SIZE
 }
 
 SECTIONS {
@@ -432,30 +442,29 @@ SECTIONS {
   . = SEGSTART_CACHED;
 
   /* rimage module manifest headers */
-  .module.boot : { KEEP(*(.module.boot)) }
-  .module.main : { KEEP(*(.module.main)) }
+  .module.boot : { KEEP(*(.module.boot)) } >noload
+  .module.main : { KEEP(*(.module.main)) } >noload
 
  .static_uuid_entries : {
     *(*.static_uuids)
-  }
+  } >noload
 
   .static_log_entries : {
     *(*.static_log*)
-  }
+  } >noload
 
   /* This is the "extended manifest" data (mostly versioning stuff)
    * emitted by SOF and inspected by the kernel driver.  It doesn't
    * appear directly in the image, but rimage will parse and repack
    * this into the output file header, so requires this be present
-   * even if empty.  Assignment to "." forces this section to be
-   * created.  Alignment and padding to 16 bytes is required,
+   * even if empty.  Alignment and padding to 16 bytes is required,
    * otherwise rimage will complain about the size being wrong (which
    * sounds like a struct should be declared packed somewhere...)
    */
   .fw_metadata : ALIGN(16) {
     KEEP (*(.fw_metadata))
     . = ALIGN(16);
-  }
+  } >noload
 
 #include <linker/debug-sections.ld>