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+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+Universal Payload
+-----------------
+
+`Universal Payload (UPL) <https://universalpayload.github.io/spec/index.html>`_
+is an Industry Standard for firmware components. UPL
+is designed to improve interoperability within the firmware industry, allowing
+mixing and matching of projects with less friction and fewer project-specific
+implementations. UPL is cross-platform, supporting ARM, x86 and RISC-V
+initially.
+
+UPL is defined in termns of two firmware components:
+
+`Platform Init`
+	Perhaps initial setup of the hardware and jumps to the payload.
+
+`Payload`
+	Selects the OS to boot
+
+In practice UPL can be used to handle any number of handoffs through the
+firmware startup process, with one program acting as platform init and another
+acting as the payload.
+
+UPL provides a standard for three main pieces:
+
+- file format for the payload, which may comprise multiple images to load
+- handoff format for the information the payload needs, such as serial port,
+  memory layout, etc.
+- machine state and register settings at the point of handoff
+
+See also the :doc:`cmd/upl`.
+
+UPL in U-Boot
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+U-Boot supports:
+
+- writing a UPL handoff (devicetree) in SPL
+- reading a UPL handoff in U-Boot proper
+- creating a FIT
+
+There are some new FIT features in UPL which are not yet supported in U-Boot.
+
+.. sectionauthor:: Simon Glass <sjg@chromium.org>
+.. July 2024