diff --git a/drivers/misc/habanalabs/device.c b/drivers/misc/habanalabs/device.c
index 4df8ef88ce2d..0c4894dd9c02 100644
--- a/drivers/misc/habanalabs/device.c
+++ b/drivers/misc/habanalabs/device.c
@@ -745,6 +745,7 @@ again:
 
 	if (hard_reset) {
 		hl_vm_fini(hdev);
+		hl_mmu_fini(hdev);
 		hl_eq_reset(hdev, &hdev->event_queue);
 	}
 
@@ -772,6 +773,13 @@ again:
 			goto out_err;
 		}
 
+		rc = hl_mmu_init(hdev);
+		if (rc) {
+			dev_err(hdev->dev,
+				"Failed to initialize MMU S/W after hard reset\n");
+			goto out_err;
+		}
+
 		/* Allocate the kernel context */
 		hdev->kernel_ctx = kzalloc(sizeof(*hdev->kernel_ctx),
 						GFP_KERNEL);
@@ -943,11 +951,18 @@ int hl_device_init(struct hl_device *hdev, struct class *hclass)
 		goto cq_fini;
 	}
 
+	/* MMU S/W must be initialized before kernel context is created */
+	rc = hl_mmu_init(hdev);
+	if (rc) {
+		dev_err(hdev->dev, "Failed to initialize MMU S/W structures\n");
+		goto eq_fini;
+	}
+
 	/* Allocate the kernel context */
 	hdev->kernel_ctx = kzalloc(sizeof(*hdev->kernel_ctx), GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (!hdev->kernel_ctx) {
 		rc = -ENOMEM;
-		goto eq_fini;
+		goto mmu_fini;
 	}
 
 	hdev->user_ctx = NULL;
@@ -995,8 +1010,6 @@ int hl_device_init(struct hl_device *hdev, struct class *hclass)
 		goto out_disabled;
 	}
 
-	/* After test_queues, KMD can start sending messages to device CPU */
-
 	rc = device_late_init(hdev);
 	if (rc) {
 		dev_err(hdev->dev, "Failed late initialization\n");
@@ -1042,6 +1055,8 @@ release_ctx:
 			"kernel ctx is still alive on initialization failure\n");
 free_ctx:
 	kfree(hdev->kernel_ctx);
+mmu_fini:
+	hl_mmu_fini(hdev);
 eq_fini:
 	hl_eq_fini(hdev, &hdev->event_queue);
 cq_fini:
@@ -1146,6 +1161,8 @@ void hl_device_fini(struct hl_device *hdev)
 
 	hl_vm_fini(hdev);
 
+	hl_mmu_fini(hdev);
+
 	hl_eq_fini(hdev, &hdev->event_queue);
 
 	for (i = 0 ; i < hdev->asic_prop.completion_queues_count ; i++)
diff --git a/drivers/misc/habanalabs/memory.c b/drivers/misc/habanalabs/memory.c
index 693877e37fd8..42d237cae1dc 100644
--- a/drivers/misc/habanalabs/memory.c
+++ b/drivers/misc/habanalabs/memory.c
@@ -1657,17 +1657,10 @@ int hl_vm_init(struct hl_device *hdev)
 	struct hl_vm *vm = &hdev->vm;
 	int rc;
 
-	rc = hl_mmu_init(hdev);
-	if (rc) {
-		dev_err(hdev->dev, "Failed to init MMU\n");
-		return rc;
-	}
-
 	vm->dram_pg_pool = gen_pool_create(__ffs(prop->dram_page_size), -1);
 	if (!vm->dram_pg_pool) {
 		dev_err(hdev->dev, "Failed to create dram page pool\n");
-		rc = -ENOMEM;
-		goto pool_create_err;
+		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
 
 	kref_init(&vm->dram_pg_pool_refcount);
@@ -1693,8 +1686,6 @@ int hl_vm_init(struct hl_device *hdev)
 
 pool_add_err:
 	gen_pool_destroy(vm->dram_pg_pool);
-pool_create_err:
-	hl_mmu_fini(hdev);
 
 	return rc;
 }
@@ -1724,7 +1715,5 @@ void hl_vm_fini(struct hl_device *hdev)
 		dev_warn(hdev->dev, "dram_pg_pool was not destroyed on %s\n",
 				__func__);
 
-	hl_mmu_fini(hdev);
-
 	vm->init_done = false;
 }
diff --git a/drivers/misc/habanalabs/mmu.c b/drivers/misc/habanalabs/mmu.c
index 10aee3141444..87968f32e718 100644
--- a/drivers/misc/habanalabs/mmu.c
+++ b/drivers/misc/habanalabs/mmu.c
@@ -385,12 +385,8 @@ static void dram_default_mapping_fini(struct hl_ctx *ctx)
  * @hdev: habanalabs device structure.
  *
  * This function does the following:
- * - Allocate max_asid zeroed hop0 pgts so no mapping is available.
- * - Enable MMU in H/W.
- * - Invalidate the MMU cache.
  * - Create a pool of pages for pgt_infos.
- *
- * This function depends on DMA QMAN to be working!
+ * - Create a shadow table for pgt
  *
  * Return: 0 for success, non-zero for failure.
  */