diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index 2a3a12033c..3ed5d073d6 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -13,8 +13,8 @@
 [submodule "roms/qemu-palcode"]
 	path = roms/qemu-palcode
 	url = https://gitlab.com/qemu-project/qemu-palcode.git
-[submodule "dtc"]
-	path = dtc
+[submodule "subprojects/dtc"]
+	path = subprojects/dtc
 	url = https://gitlab.com/qemu-project/dtc.git
 [submodule "roms/u-boot"]
 	path = roms/u-boot
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 9cdce69b78..d42bbd0731 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -1187,7 +1187,7 @@ fi
 case "$fdt" in
   auto | enabled | internal)
     # Simpler to always update submodule, even if not needed.
-    git_submodules="${git_submodules} dtc"
+    git_submodules="${git_submodules} subprojects/dtc"
     ;;
 esac
 
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 218428841d..884b16c749 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -3088,26 +3088,10 @@ if fdt_required.length() > 0 or fdt_opt == 'enabled'
       error('libfdt source not found - please pull git submodule')
     endif
 
-    fdt_files = files(
-      'dtc/libfdt/fdt.c',
-      'dtc/libfdt/fdt_ro.c',
-      'dtc/libfdt/fdt_wip.c',
-      'dtc/libfdt/fdt_sw.c',
-      'dtc/libfdt/fdt_rw.c',
-      'dtc/libfdt/fdt_strerror.c',
-      'dtc/libfdt/fdt_empty_tree.c',
-      'dtc/libfdt/fdt_addresses.c',
-      'dtc/libfdt/fdt_overlay.c',
-      'dtc/libfdt/fdt_check.c',
-    )
-
-    fdt_inc = include_directories('dtc/libfdt')
-    libfdt = static_library('fdt',
-                            build_by_default: false,
-                            sources: fdt_files,
-                            include_directories: fdt_inc)
-    fdt = declare_dependency(link_with: libfdt,
-                             include_directories: fdt_inc)
+    libfdt_proj = subproject('dtc', required: true,
+                             default_options: ['tools=false',  'yaml=disabled',
+                                               'python=disabled', 'default_library=static'])
+    fdt = libfdt_proj.get_variable('libfdt_dep')
   endif
 else
   fdt_opt = 'disabled'
diff --git a/scripts/archive-source.sh b/scripts/archive-source.sh
index c035329154..a7c2886334 100755
--- a/scripts/archive-source.sh
+++ b/scripts/archive-source.sh
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ sub_file="${sub_tdir}/submodule.tar"
 # independent of what the developer currently has initialized
 # in their checkout, because the build environment is completely
 # different to the host OS.
-submodules="dtc ui/keycodemapdb"
+submodules="subprojects/dtc ui/keycodemapdb"
 submodules="$submodules tests/fp/berkeley-softfloat-3 tests/fp/berkeley-testfloat-3"
 sub_deinit=""
 
diff --git a/dtc b/subprojects/dtc
similarity index 100%
rename from dtc
rename to subprojects/dtc