diff --git a/real_system_state.cc b/real_system_state.cc
index c89f297..7dfa012 100644
--- a/real_system_state.cc
+++ b/real_system_state.cc
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 
 #include "update_engine/boot_control_chromeos.h"
 #include "update_engine/constants.h"
+#include "update_engine/hardware.h"
 #include "update_engine/update_manager/state_factory.h"
 #include "update_engine/utils.h"
 
@@ -44,6 +45,12 @@
     LOG(ERROR) << "Ignoring BootControlChromeOS failure. We won't run updates.";
   }
 
+  hardware_ = hardware::CreateHardware();
+  if (!hardware_) {
+    LOG(ERROR) << "Error intializing the HardwareInterface.";
+    return false;
+  }
+
   if (!shill_proxy_.Init()) {
     LOG(ERROR) << "Failed to initialize shill proxy.";
     return false;