diff --git a/core/cds/inc/cds_api.h b/core/cds/inc/cds_api.h
index dfa94d7edbe8..7861d76b6d07 100644
--- a/core/cds/inc/cds_api.h
+++ b/core/cds/inc/cds_api.h
@@ -306,7 +306,17 @@ static inline bool cds_is_driver_loaded(void)
 	return __CDS_IS_DRIVER_STATE(state, CDS_DRIVER_STATE_LOADED);
 }
 
-v_CONTEXT_t cds_init(void);
+/**
+ * cds_init() - Initialize CDS
+ *
+ * This function allocates the resource required for CDS, but does not
+ * initialize all the members. This overall initialization will happen at
+ * cds_open().
+ *
+ * Return: QDF_STATUS_SUCCESS if CDS was initialized and an error on failure
+ */
+QDF_STATUS cds_init(void);
+
 void cds_deinit(void);
 
 QDF_STATUS cds_pre_enable(void);
diff --git a/core/cds/src/cds_api.c b/core/cds/src/cds_api.c
index 2e39afedada9..47ad885d1032 100644
--- a/core/cds/src/cds_api.c
+++ b/core/cds/src/cds_api.c
@@ -156,16 +156,7 @@ uint8_t cds_get_datapath_handles(void **soc, struct cdp_pdev **pdev,
 }
 
 
-/**
- * cds_init() - Initialize CDS
- *
- * This function allocates the resource required for CDS, but does not
- * initialize all the members. This overall initialization will happen at
- * cds_open().
- *
- * Return: Global context on success and NULL on failure.
- */
-v_CONTEXT_t cds_init(void)
+QDF_STATUS cds_init(void)
 {
 	qdf_debugfs_init();
 	qdf_lock_stats_init();
@@ -189,7 +180,7 @@ v_CONTEXT_t cds_init(void)
 
 	cds_recovery_work_init();
 
-	return gp_cds_context;
+	return gp_cds_context ? QDF_STATUS_SUCCESS : QDF_STATUS_E_FAILURE;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/core/hdd/src/wlan_hdd_main.c b/core/hdd/src/wlan_hdd_main.c
index d3e4f65c886a..a5916566f812 100644
--- a/core/hdd/src/wlan_hdd_main.c
+++ b/core/hdd/src/wlan_hdd_main.c
@@ -10948,10 +10948,10 @@ static void hdd_qdf_print_deinit(void)
  */
 int hdd_init(void)
 {
-	v_CONTEXT_t p_cds_context = NULL;
+	QDF_STATUS status;
 	int ret = 0;
 
-	p_cds_context = cds_init();
+	status = cds_init();
 
 	wlan_init_bug_report_lock();
 
@@ -10959,7 +10959,7 @@ int hdd_init(void)
 	wlan_logging_sock_init_svc();
 #endif
 
-	if (p_cds_context == NULL) {
+	if (QDF_IS_STATUS_ERROR(status)) {
 		hdd_err("Failed to allocate CDS context");
 		ret = -ENOMEM;
 		goto err_out;