diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt b/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt
index 09126bb8cc9f..1b52b1b7bbc4 100644
--- a/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt
+++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt
@@ -2648,6 +2648,23 @@
 
 			Default is Y (on).
 
+	kvm.enable_virt_at_load=[KVM,ARM64,LOONGARCH,MIPS,RISCV,X86]
+			If enabled, KVM will enable virtualization in hardware
+			when KVM is loaded, and disable virtualization when KVM
+			is unloaded (if KVM is built as a module).
+
+			If disabled, KVM will dynamically enable and disable
+			virtualization on-demand when creating and destroying
+			VMs, i.e. on the 0=>1 and 1=>0 transitions of the
+			number of VMs.
+
+			Enabling virtualization at module lode avoids potential
+			latency for creation of the 0=>1 VM, as KVM serializes
+			virtualization enabling across all online CPUs.  The
+			"cost" of enabling virtualization when KVM is loaded,
+			is that doing so may interfere with using out-of-tree
+			hypervisors that want to "own" virtualization hardware.
+
 	kvm.enable_vmware_backdoor=[KVM] Support VMware backdoor PV interface.
 				   Default is false (don't support).
 
diff --git a/virt/kvm/kvm_main.c b/virt/kvm/kvm_main.c
index 7ada2b669d51..3a18da68b0ca 100644
--- a/virt/kvm/kvm_main.c
+++ b/virt/kvm/kvm_main.c
@@ -5571,6 +5571,9 @@ static struct miscdevice kvm_dev = {
 };
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_KVM_GENERIC_HARDWARE_ENABLING
+static bool enable_virt_at_load = true;
+module_param(enable_virt_at_load, bool, 0444);
+
 __visible bool kvm_rebooting;
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(kvm_rebooting);
 
@@ -5721,15 +5724,39 @@ static void kvm_disable_virtualization(void)
 	unregister_syscore_ops(&kvm_syscore_ops);
 	cpuhp_remove_state(CPUHP_AP_KVM_ONLINE);
 }
+
+static int kvm_init_virtualization(void)
+{
+	if (enable_virt_at_load)
+		return kvm_enable_virtualization();
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static void kvm_uninit_virtualization(void)
+{
+	if (enable_virt_at_load)
+		kvm_disable_virtualization();
+}
 #else /* CONFIG_KVM_GENERIC_HARDWARE_ENABLING */
 static int kvm_enable_virtualization(void)
 {
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static int kvm_init_virtualization(void)
+{
+	return 0;
+}
+
 static void kvm_disable_virtualization(void)
 {
 
+}
+
+static void kvm_uninit_virtualization(void)
+{
+
 }
 #endif /* CONFIG_KVM_GENERIC_HARDWARE_ENABLING */
 
@@ -6474,6 +6501,10 @@ int kvm_init(unsigned vcpu_size, unsigned vcpu_align, struct module *module)
 
 	kvm_gmem_init(module);
 
+	r = kvm_init_virtualization();
+	if (r)
+		goto err_virt;
+
 	/*
 	 * Registration _must_ be the very last thing done, as this exposes
 	 * /dev/kvm to userspace, i.e. all infrastructure must be setup!
@@ -6487,6 +6518,8 @@ int kvm_init(unsigned vcpu_size, unsigned vcpu_align, struct module *module)
 	return 0;
 
 err_register:
+	kvm_uninit_virtualization();
+err_virt:
 	kvm_vfio_ops_exit();
 err_vfio:
 	kvm_async_pf_deinit();
@@ -6512,6 +6545,8 @@ void kvm_exit(void)
 	 */
 	misc_deregister(&kvm_dev);
 
+	kvm_uninit_virtualization();
+
 	debugfs_remove_recursive(kvm_debugfs_dir);
 	for_each_possible_cpu(cpu)
 		free_cpumask_var(per_cpu(cpu_kick_mask, cpu));