diff --git a/hw/core/sysbus.c b/hw/core/sysbus.c
index 414e2a1921..e55c3c1d6d 100644
--- a/hw/core/sysbus.c
+++ b/hw/core/sysbus.c
@@ -41,11 +41,7 @@ static const TypeInfo system_bus_info = {
 
 void sysbus_connect_irq(SysBusDevice *dev, int n, qemu_irq irq)
 {
-    assert(n >= 0 && n < dev->num_irq);
-    dev->irqs[n] = NULL;
-    if (dev->irqp[n]) {
-        *dev->irqp[n] = irq;
-    }
+    qdev_connect_gpio_out_named(DEVICE(dev), SYSBUS_DEVICE_GPIO_IRQ, n, irq);
 }
 
 static void sysbus_mmio_map_common(SysBusDevice *dev, int n, hwaddr addr,
@@ -89,22 +85,13 @@ void sysbus_mmio_map_overlap(SysBusDevice *dev, int n, hwaddr addr,
 /* Request an IRQ source.  The actual IRQ object may be populated later.  */
 void sysbus_init_irq(SysBusDevice *dev, qemu_irq *p)
 {
-    int n;
-
-    assert(dev->num_irq < QDEV_MAX_IRQ);
-    n = dev->num_irq++;
-    dev->irqp[n] = p;
+    qdev_init_gpio_out_named(DEVICE(dev), p, SYSBUS_DEVICE_GPIO_IRQ, 1);
 }
 
 /* Pass IRQs from a target device.  */
 void sysbus_pass_irq(SysBusDevice *dev, SysBusDevice *target)
 {
-    int i;
-    assert(dev->num_irq == 0);
-    dev->num_irq = target->num_irq;
-    for (i = 0; i < dev->num_irq; i++) {
-        dev->irqp[i] = target->irqp[i];
-    }
+    qdev_pass_gpios(DEVICE(target), DEVICE(dev), SYSBUS_DEVICE_GPIO_IRQ);
 }
 
 void sysbus_init_mmio(SysBusDevice *dev, MemoryRegion *memory)
@@ -210,7 +197,6 @@ static void sysbus_dev_print(Monitor *mon, DeviceState *dev, int indent)
     hwaddr size;
     int i;
 
-    monitor_printf(mon, "%*sirq %d\n", indent, "", s->num_irq);
     for (i = 0; i < s->num_mmio; i++) {
         size = memory_region_size(s->mmio[i].memory);
         monitor_printf(mon, "%*smmio " TARGET_FMT_plx "/" TARGET_FMT_plx "\n",
diff --git a/include/hw/sysbus.h b/include/hw/sysbus.h
index 0bb91a8824..9fb1782d7b 100644
--- a/include/hw/sysbus.h
+++ b/include/hw/sysbus.h
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@
 
 #define QDEV_MAX_MMIO 32
 #define QDEV_MAX_PIO 32
-#define QDEV_MAX_IRQ 512
 
 #define TYPE_SYSTEM_BUS "System"
 #define SYSTEM_BUS(obj) OBJECT_CHECK(IDEBus, (obj), TYPE_IDE_BUS)
@@ -33,6 +32,9 @@ typedef struct SysBusDevice SysBusDevice;
  * SysBusDeviceClass is not overriding #DeviceClass.realize, so derived
  * classes overriding it are not required to invoke its implementation.
  */
+
+#define SYSBUS_DEVICE_GPIO_IRQ "sysbus-irq"
+
 typedef struct SysBusDeviceClass {
     /*< private >*/
     DeviceClass parent_class;
@@ -46,9 +48,6 @@ struct SysBusDevice {
     DeviceState parent_obj;
     /*< public >*/
 
-    int num_irq;
-    qemu_irq irqs[QDEV_MAX_IRQ];
-    qemu_irq *irqp[QDEV_MAX_IRQ];
     int num_mmio;
     struct {
         hwaddr addr;