diff --git a/src/audio/component.c b/src/audio/component.c
index ea72ed6fc198..d28a689ce534 100644
--- a/src/audio/component.c
+++ b/src/audio/component.c
@@ -29,20 +29,70 @@ DECLARE_SOF_UUID("component", comp_uuid, 0x7c42ce8b, 0x0108, 0x43d0,
 
 DECLARE_TR_CTX(comp_tr, SOF_UUID(comp_uuid), LOG_LEVEL_INFO);
 
-static const struct comp_driver *get_drv(uint32_t type)
+static const struct comp_driver *get_drv(struct sof_ipc_comp *comp)
 {
 	struct comp_driver_list *drivers = comp_drivers_get();
 	struct list_item *clist;
 	const struct comp_driver *drv = NULL;
 	struct comp_driver_info *info;
+	struct sof_ipc_comp_ext *comp_ext;
 	uint32_t flags;
 
 	irq_local_disable(flags);
 
+	/* do we have extended data ? */
+	if (!comp->ext_data_length)
+		goto comp_type_match;
+
+	/* Basic sanity check of the total size and extended data
+	 * length. A bit lax because in this generic code we don't know
+	 * which derived comp we have and how much its specific members
+	 * add.
+	 */
+	if (comp->hdr.size < sizeof(*comp) + comp->ext_data_length) {
+		tr_err(&comp_tr, "Invalid size, hdr.size=0x%x, ext_data_length=0x%x\n",
+		       comp->hdr.size, comp->ext_data_length);
+		goto out;
+	}
+
+	comp_ext = (struct sof_ipc_comp_ext *)
+		   ((uint8_t *)comp + comp->hdr.size -
+		    comp->ext_data_length);
+
+	/* UUID is first item in extended data - check its big enough */
+	if (comp->ext_data_length < UUID_SIZE) {
+		tr_err(&comp_tr, "UUID is invalid!\n");
+		goto out;
+	}
+
+	/* search driver list with UUID */
+	list_for_item(clist, &drivers->list) {
+		info = container_of(clist, struct comp_driver_info,
+				    list);
+		if (!memcmp(info->drv->uid, comp_ext->uuid,
+			    UUID_SIZE)) {
+			tr_dbg(&comp_tr,
+			       "get_drv_from_uuid(), found driver type %d, uuid %s",
+			       info->drv->type,
+			       info->drv->tctx->uuid_p);
+			drv = info->drv;
+			goto out;
+		}
+	}
+
+	tr_err(&comp_tr, "get_drv(): the provided UUID (%8x%8x%8x%8x) doesn't match to any driver!",
+	       *(uint32_t *)(&comp_ext->uuid[0]),
+	       *(uint32_t *)(&comp_ext->uuid[4]),
+	       *(uint32_t *)(&comp_ext->uuid[8]),
+	       *(uint32_t *)(&comp_ext->uuid[12]));
+
+	goto out;
+
+comp_type_match:
 	/* search driver list for driver type */
 	list_for_item(clist, &drivers->list) {
 		info = container_of(clist, struct comp_driver_info, list);
-		if (info->drv->type == type) {
+		if (info->drv->type == comp->type) {
 			drv = info->drv;
 			platform_shared_commit(info, sizeof(*info));
 			goto out;
@@ -63,7 +113,7 @@ struct comp_dev *comp_new(struct sof_ipc_comp *comp)
 	const struct comp_driver *drv;
 
 	/* find the driver for our new component */
-	drv = get_drv(comp->type);
+	drv = get_drv(comp);
 	if (!drv) {
 		tr_err(&comp_tr, "comp_new(): driver not found, comp->type = %u",
 		       comp->type);
diff --git a/src/include/ipc/header.h b/src/include/ipc/header.h
index 63a291b1e673..2c01f22490cc 100644
--- a/src/include/ipc/header.h
+++ b/src/include/ipc/header.h
@@ -74,11 +74,11 @@
  *      0                   1                   2                   3
  *      0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
  *     +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
- *     | Size                                                          |
+ *     | Size (Total size including Extended Data)                     |
  *     +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
  *     | Command (G=TPLG_MSG, C=COMP_NEW)                              |
  *     +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
- *     | Component Id                                                  |
+ *     | Component ID                                                  |
  *     +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
  *     | Type                                                          |
  *     +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
@@ -86,9 +86,12 @@
  *     +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
  *     | Core                                                          |
  *     +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
- *     | Reserved                                                      |
+ *     | Extended Data size                                            |
+ *     +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
+ *     | Type specific payload, size varies based on Component ID.     |
+ *     | Ends at: Total size - Extended Data size                      |
  *     +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
- *     | (Type specific payload, size varies based on Component ID)    |
+ *     | extended data, including e.g. UUID                            |
  *     +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
  *
  * \see sof_ipc_comp
diff --git a/src/include/ipc/topology.h b/src/include/ipc/topology.h
index 58c9074ab0ab..b98e596b4bdd 100644
--- a/src/include/ipc/topology.h
+++ b/src/include/ipc/topology.h
@@ -65,8 +65,8 @@ struct sof_ipc_comp {
 	uint32_t pipeline_id;
 	uint32_t core;
 
-	/* reserved for future use */
-	uint32_t reserved[1];
+	/* extended data length, 0 if no extended data */
+	uint32_t ext_data_length;
 } __attribute__((packed));
 
 /*
@@ -94,6 +94,9 @@ struct sof_ipc_comp {
  */
 #define SOF_BUF_UNDERRUN_PERMITTED	BIT(1)
 
+/* the UUID size in bytes, shared between FW and host */
+#define SOF_UUID_SIZE	16
+
 /* create new component buffer - SOF_IPC_TPLG_BUFFER_NEW */
 struct sof_ipc_buffer {
 	struct sof_ipc_comp comp;
@@ -287,4 +290,9 @@ struct sof_ipc_pipe_comp_connect {
 	uint32_t sink_id;
 } __attribute__((packed));
 
+/* extended data struct for UUID components */
+struct sof_ipc_comp_ext {
+	uint8_t uuid[SOF_UUID_SIZE];
+} __attribute__((packed));
+
 #endif /* __IPC_TOPOLOGY_H__ */
diff --git a/src/include/sof/string.h b/src/include/sof/string.h
index 787f73ffef9a..d76e5b45d298 100644
--- a/src/include/sof/string.h
+++ b/src/include/sof/string.h
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 
 /* C memcpy for arch that don't have arch_memcpy() */
 void cmemcpy(void *dest, void *src, size_t size);
+int memcmp(const void *p, const void *q, size_t count);
 int rstrlen(const char *s);
 int rstrcmp(const char *s1, const char *s2);
 
diff --git a/src/lib/lib.c b/src/lib/lib.c
index c75aab889d58..c1ef3fa46222 100644
--- a/src/lib/lib.c
+++ b/src/lib/lib.c
@@ -43,6 +43,21 @@ int memset_s(void *dest, size_t dest_size, int data, size_t count)
 	return arch_memset_s(dest, dest_size, data, count);
 }
 
+int memcmp(const void *p, const void *q, size_t count)
+{
+	uint8_t *s1 = (uint8_t *)p;
+	uint8_t *s2 = (uint8_t *)q;
+
+	while (count) {
+		if (*s1 != *s2)
+			return *s1 < *s2 ? -1 : 1;
+		s1++;
+		s2++;
+		count--;
+	}
+	return 0;
+}
+
 /* generic strlen - TODO: can be optimsed for ARCH ? */
 int rstrlen(const char *s)
 {
diff --git a/tools/testbench/topology.c b/tools/testbench/topology.c
index b216e6ab98f6..5cb4425c4c34 100644
--- a/tools/testbench/topology.c
+++ b/tools/testbench/topology.c
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ static int load_fileread(void *dev, int comp_id, int pipeline_id,
 			 struct testbench_prm *tp)
 {
 	struct sof *sof = (struct sof *)dev;
-	struct sof_ipc_comp_file fileread;
+	struct sof_ipc_comp_file fileread = {0};
 	int size = widget->priv.size;
 	int ret;
 
@@ -319,7 +319,7 @@ static int load_filewrite(struct sof *sof, int comp_id, int pipeline_id,
 			  struct snd_soc_tplg_dapm_widget *widget, int dir,
 			  struct testbench_prm *tp)
 {
-	struct sof_ipc_comp_file filewrite;
+	struct sof_ipc_comp_file filewrite = {0};
 	int size = widget->priv.size;
 	int ret;