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 785127fe0b..f367cd9aa9 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
@@ -157,12 +157,9 @@ 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
 
-# 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