diff --git a/changelog/bugfixes/2025-10-20-microcode-updates.md b/changelog/bugfixes/2025-10-20-microcode-updates.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4d0b8cafc5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog/bugfixes/2025-10-20-microcode-updates.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+- Fixed Intel microcode updates which were broken in recent Alpha and Beta releases by switching back to built-in extra firmware instead of early cpio inclusion ([Flatcar#1909](https://github.com/flatcar/Flatcar/issues/1909))
diff --git a/sdk_container/src/third_party/coreos-overlay/profiles/coreos/base/package.use b/sdk_container/src/third_party/coreos-overlay/profiles/coreos/base/package.use
index 8e35aecd7a..037ffd9faf 100644
--- a/sdk_container/src/third_party/coreos-overlay/profiles/coreos/base/package.use
+++ b/sdk_container/src/third_party/coreos-overlay/profiles/coreos/base/package.use
@@ -157,13 +157,10 @@ sys-libs/libsemanage -python
 sys-fs/zfs minimal -rootfs
 
 # Do not tinker with /boot partition at installation time.
+sys-firmware/intel-microcode -initramfs
 sys-fs/zfs-kmod -initramfs
 sys-kernel/coreos-firmware -initramfs
 
-# Only needed for direct loading by the kernel, which is dangerous, and we
-# include all the microcode in the initrd anyway.
-sys-firmware/intel-microcode -split-ucode
-
 # For sys-auth/sssd
 net-dns/bind       gssapi
 net-dns/bind-tools gssapi
diff --git a/sdk_container/src/third_party/coreos-overlay/sys-kernel/coreos-kernel/coreos-kernel-6.12.51.ebuild b/sdk_container/src/third_party/coreos-overlay/sys-kernel/coreos-kernel/coreos-kernel-6.12.51.ebuild
index 8e50a61a5e..77094b324d 100644
--- a/sdk_container/src/third_party/coreos-overlay/sys-kernel/coreos-kernel/coreos-kernel-6.12.51.ebuild
+++ b/sdk_container/src/third_party/coreos-overlay/sys-kernel/coreos-kernel/coreos-kernel-6.12.51.ebuild
@@ -96,20 +96,9 @@ src_compile() {
 	lsinitrd --kver SILENCEERROR --unpack "${S}"/build/bootengine.cpio || die
 	mksquashfs . "${S}"/build/bootengine.img -noappend -xattrs-exclude ^btrfs. || die
 	popd || die
+	# No early cpio, drop full initrd
+	> "${S}"/build/bootengine.cpio
 	# Create minimal initrd
-	if use amd64; then
-		mkdir "${S}"/build/early-cpio || die
-		pushd "${S}"/build/early-cpio || die
-		lsinitrd --kver SILENCEERROR --unpackearly "${S}"/build/bootengine.cpio || die
-		# Recreate to only contain the early cpio for microcode
-		find . -print0 | cpio --null --create --verbose --format=newc > "${S}"/build/bootengine.cpio || die
-		# Debug: List contents after recreation
-		cpio -t < "${S}"/build/bootengine.cpio
-		popd || die
-	else
-		# No early cpio, drop full initrd
-		> "${S}"/build/bootengine.cpio
-	fi
 	mkdir "${S}"/build/minimal || die
 	pushd "${S}"/build/minimal || die
 	mkdir -p {etc,dev,proc,sys,dev,usr/bin,usr/lib64,realinit,sysusr/usr} || die
@@ -141,6 +130,7 @@ src_compile() {
 	mknod ./dev/random c 1 8 || die
 	mknod ./dev/zero c 1 5 || die
 	# No compression because CONFIG_INITRAMFS_COMPRESSION_XZ should take care of it
+	# (Note: The kernel build system does not support prepending an uncompressed microcode early cpio here)
 	find . -print0 | cpio --null --create --verbose --format=newc >> "${S}"/build/bootengine.cpio || die
 	popd || die
 	kmake "$(kernel_target)"