diff --git a/core/arch/arm/kernel/link.mk b/core/arch/arm/kernel/link.mk
index d1d52722442..11fe79d982c 100644
--- a/core/arch/arm/kernel/link.mk
+++ b/core/arch/arm/kernel/link.mk
@@ -140,39 +140,6 @@ $(link-script-pp): $(link-script) $(link-script-extra-deps)
 	$(q)$(CPPcore) -P -MT $@ -MD -MF $(link-script-dep) \
 		$(link-script-cppflags) $< -o $@
 
-define update-buildcount
-	@$(cmd-echo-silent) '  UPD     $(1)'
-	$(q)if [ ! -f $(1) ]; then \
-		mkdir -p $(dir $(1)); \
-		echo 1 >$(1); \
-	else \
-		expr 0`cat $(1)` + 1 >$(1); \
-	fi
-endef
-
-# filter-out to workaround objdump warning
-version-o-cflags = $(filter-out -g3,$(CFLAGS) $(core-platform-cflags) \
-			$(platform-cflags) $(cflagscore))
-# SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH defined for reproducible builds
-ifneq ($(SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH),)
-date-opts = -d @$(SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH)
-endif
-DATE_STR = `LC_ALL=C date -u $(date-opts)`
-BUILD_COUNT_STR = `cat $(link-out-dir)/.buildcount`
-CORE_CC_VERSION = `$(CCcore) -v 2>&1 | grep "version " | sed 's/ *$$//'`
-define gen-version-o
-	$(call update-buildcount,$(link-out-dir)/.buildcount)
-	@$(cmd-echo-silent) '  GEN     $(link-out-dir)/version.o'
-	$(q)cd $(link-out-dir) && \
-		echo -e "const char core_v_str[] =" \
-		"\"$(TEE_IMPL_VERSION) \"" \
-		"\"($(CORE_CC_VERSION)) \"" \
-		"\"#$(BUILD_COUNT_STR) \"" \
-		"\"$(DATE_STR) \"" \
-		"\"$(CFG_KERN_LINKER_ARCH)\";\n" \
-		| $(CCcore) $(version-o-cflags) \
-			-xc - -c -o version.o
-endef
 $(link-out-dir)/version.o:
 	$(call gen-version-o)
 
diff --git a/core/arch/riscv/kernel/link.mk b/core/arch/riscv/kernel/link.mk
index 6511586e2a5..d7b676cbf43 100644
--- a/core/arch/riscv/kernel/link.mk
+++ b/core/arch/riscv/kernel/link.mk
@@ -51,40 +51,6 @@ $(link-script-pp): $(link-script) $(link-script-extra-deps)
 	$(q)$(CPPcore) -P -MT $@ -MD -MF $(link-script-dep) \
 		$(link-script-cppflags) $< -o $@
 
-define update-buildcount
-	@$(cmd-echo-silent) '  UPD     $(1)'
-	$(q)if [ ! -f $(1) ]; then \
-		mkdir -p $(dir $(1)); \
-		echo 1 >$(1); \
-	else \
-		expr 0`cat $(1)` + 1 >$(1); \
-	fi
-endef
-
-# filter-out to workaround objdump warning
-version-o-cflags = $(filter-out -g3,$(CFLAGS) $(core-platform-cflags) \
-			$(platform-cflags) $(cflagscore))
-# SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH defined for reproducible builds
-ifneq ($(SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH),)
-date-opts = -d @$(SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH)
-endif
-DATE_STR = `LC_ALL=C date -u $(date-opts)`
-BUILD_COUNT_STR = `cat $(link-out-dir)/.buildcount`
-CORE_CC_VERSION = `$(CCcore) -v 2>&1 | grep "version " | sed 's/ *$$//'`
-define gen-version-o
-	$(call update-buildcount,$(link-out-dir)/.buildcount)
-	@$(cmd-echo-silent) '  GEN     $(link-out-dir)/version.o'
-	$(q)cd $(link-out-dir) && \
-		echo -e "const char core_v_str[] =" \
-		"\"$(TEE_IMPL_VERSION) \"" \
-		"\"($(CORE_CC_VERSION)) \"" \
-		"\"#$(BUILD_COUNT_STR) \"" \
-		"\"$(DATE_STR) \"" \
-		"\"$(CFG_KERN_LINKER_ARCH)\";\n" \
-		| $(CCcore) $(version-o-cflags) \
-			-xc - -c -o version.o
-endef
-
 $(link-out-dir)/version.o:
 	$(call gen-version-o)
 
diff --git a/mk/macros.mk b/mk/macros.mk
index 277ecf2212c..93d13fb22b2 100644
--- a/mk/macros.mk
+++ b/mk/macros.mk
@@ -7,3 +7,37 @@ define mv-if-changed
 		mv $1 $2;					\
 	fi
 endef
+
+define update-buildcount
+	@$(cmd-echo-silent) '  UPD     $(1)'
+	$(q)if [ ! -f $(1) ]; then \
+		mkdir -p $(dir $(1)); \
+		echo 1 >$(1); \
+	else \
+		expr 0`cat $(1)` + 1 >$(1); \
+	fi
+endef
+
+# filter-out to workaround objdump warning
+version-o-cflags = $(filter-out -g3,$(CFLAGS) $(core-platform-cflags) \
+			$(platform-cflags) $(cflagscore))
+# SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH defined for reproducible builds
+ifneq ($(SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH),)
+date-opts = -d @$(SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH)
+endif
+DATE_STR = `LC_ALL=C date -u $(date-opts)`
+CORE_CC_VERSION = `$(CCcore) -v 2>&1 | grep "version " | sed 's/ *$$//'`
+define gen-version-o
+	$(call update-buildcount,$(link-out-dir)/.buildcount)
+	@$(cmd-echo-silent) '  GEN     $(link-out-dir)/version.o'
+	$(q)cd $(link-out-dir) && \
+		BUILD_COUNT_STR=`cat .buildcount` && \
+		echo -e "const char core_v_str[] =" \
+		"\"$(TEE_IMPL_VERSION) \"" \
+		"\"($(CORE_CC_VERSION)) \"" \
+		"\"#$${BUILD_COUNT_STR} \"" \
+		"\"$(DATE_STR) \"" \
+		"\"$(CFG_KERN_LINKER_ARCH)\";\n" \
+		| $(CCcore) $(version-o-cflags) \
+			-xc - -c -o version.o
+endef