diff --git a/arch/powerpc/kernel/setup_64.c b/arch/powerpc/kernel/setup_64.c
index 91d9cfaffe6c..6e5310ddf8c7 100644
--- a/arch/powerpc/kernel/setup_64.c
+++ b/arch/powerpc/kernel/setup_64.c
@@ -690,7 +690,6 @@ void __init setup_arch(char **cmdline_p)
 	emergency_stack_init();
 
 	initmem_init();
-	sparse_init();
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_DUMMY_CONSOLE
 	conswitchp = &dummy_con;
diff --git a/arch/powerpc/mm/mem.c b/arch/powerpc/mm/mem.c
index e076d19c095b..b7285a5870f8 100644
--- a/arch/powerpc/mm/mem.c
+++ b/arch/powerpc/mm/mem.c
@@ -205,6 +205,7 @@ void __init initmem_init(void)
 
 	/* XXX need to clip this if using highmem? */
 	sparse_memory_present_with_active_regions(0);
+	sparse_init();
 }
 
 /* mark pages that don't exist as nosave */
diff --git a/arch/powerpc/mm/numa.c b/arch/powerpc/mm/numa.c
index 2e9ad2d76b75..417b0a523a47 100644
--- a/arch/powerpc/mm/numa.c
+++ b/arch/powerpc/mm/numa.c
@@ -966,6 +966,8 @@ void __init initmem_init(void)
 		sparse_memory_present_with_active_regions(nid);
 	}
 
+	sparse_init();
+
 	setup_node_to_cpumask_map();
 
 	reset_numa_cpu_lookup_table();