diff --git a/arch/arm/include/asm/simd.h b/arch/arm/include/asm/simd.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..82191dbd7e78
--- /dev/null
+++ b/arch/arm/include/asm/simd.h
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 */
+
+#include <linux/hardirq.h>
+
+static __must_check inline bool may_use_simd(void)
+{
+	return IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_KERNEL_MODE_NEON) && !in_hardirq();
+}
diff --git a/arch/arm/vfp/vfpmodule.c b/arch/arm/vfp/vfpmodule.c
index 86fb0be41ae1..01bc48d73847 100644
--- a/arch/arm/vfp/vfpmodule.c
+++ b/arch/arm/vfp/vfpmodule.c
@@ -723,12 +723,12 @@ void kernel_neon_begin(void)
 	local_bh_disable();
 
 	/*
-	 * Kernel mode NEON is only allowed outside of interrupt context
-	 * with preemption disabled. This will make sure that the kernel
-	 * mode NEON register contents never need to be preserved.
+	 * Kernel mode NEON is only allowed outside of hardirq context with
+	 * preemption and softirq processing disabled. This will make sure that
+	 * the kernel mode NEON register contents never need to be preserved.
 	 */
-	BUG_ON(in_interrupt());
-	cpu = get_cpu();
+	BUG_ON(in_hardirq());
+	cpu = __smp_processor_id();
 
 	fpexc = fmrx(FPEXC) | FPEXC_EN;
 	fmxr(FPEXC, fpexc);
@@ -744,7 +744,6 @@ void kernel_neon_begin(void)
 		vfp_save_state(vfp_current_hw_state[cpu], fpexc);
 #endif
 	vfp_current_hw_state[cpu] = NULL;
-	local_bh_enable();
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(kernel_neon_begin);
 
@@ -752,7 +751,7 @@ void kernel_neon_end(void)
 {
 	/* Disable the NEON/VFP unit. */
 	fmxr(FPEXC, fmrx(FPEXC) & ~FPEXC_EN);
-	put_cpu();
+	local_bh_enable();
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(kernel_neon_end);