diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 8302c504..7ab5f93c 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -1,8 +1,14 @@
 livecd-rootfs (25.04.20) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
 
+  [ Adriano Cordova ]
   * riscv: add SUBARCH 'jh7110'. (LP: #2099993)
 
- -- Adriano Cordova <adriano.cordova@canonical.com>  Tue, 25 Feb 2025 15:28:06 -0300
+  [ Michael Hudson-Doyle ]
+  * In ubuntu-server builds, install the first kernel in the base layer, not
+    the "ga" kernel (which may not be installed at all, as is the case in e.g.
+    the arm64+largemem builds).
+
+ -- Michael Hudson-Doyle <michael.hudson@ubuntu.com>  Thu, 27 Feb 2025 11:41:22 +1300
 
 livecd-rootfs (25.04.19) plucky; urgency=medium
 
diff --git a/live-build/auto/config b/live-build/auto/config
index c89034a1..ddbe2970 100755
--- a/live-build/auto/config
+++ b/live-build/auto/config
@@ -1048,6 +1048,7 @@ case $PROJECT in
 					variants='ga'
 				fi
 
+				first_kernel=y
 				for variant in $variants; do
 					if [ "$variant" = "ga" ]; then
 						kernel_metapkg=linux-generic
@@ -1079,9 +1080,12 @@ case $PROJECT in
 					fi
 
 					add_pass ubuntu-server-minimal.ubuntu-server.installer.$flavor
-					if [ "$variant" = "ga" ]; then
+					if [ "$first_kernel" = "y" ]; then
+						# Put the first kernel offered into the base layer
 						kernel_layer=ubuntu-server-minimal
+						first_kernel=n
 					else
+						# and subsequent ones into their own layer
 						kernel_layer=ubuntu-server-minimal.ubuntu-server.installer.$flavor
 					fi
 					add_package $kernel_layer $kernel_metapkg