diff --git a/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/ipu3.cpp b/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/ipu3.cpp
index 63b84706b9b2..d3519bb1d536 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/ipu3.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/ipu3.cpp
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ public:
 		V4L2Device *dev;
 		unsigned int pad;
 		std::string name;
+		BufferPool *pool;
 	};
 
 	ImgUDevice()
@@ -94,6 +95,10 @@ public:
 	{
 		return outputMap[id].name;
 	}
+	BufferPool *outputPool(enum OutputId id)
+	{
+		return outputMap[id].pool;
+	}
 
 	int init(MediaDevice *media, unsigned int index);
 	int configureInput(const StreamConfiguration &config,
@@ -101,6 +106,11 @@ public:
 	int configureOutput(enum OutputId id,
 			    const StreamConfiguration &config);
 
+	int importBuffers(BufferPool *pool);
+	int exportBuffers(enum OutputId id, BufferPool *pool);
+	int exportBuffers(enum OutputId id, unsigned int count);
+	void freeBuffers();
+
 	unsigned int index_;
 	std::string name_;
 	MediaDevice *media_;
@@ -114,11 +124,16 @@ public:
 
 	/* ImgU output map: associate an output id with its descriptor. */
 	std::map<enum OutputId, struct outputDesc> outputMap;
+
+	BufferPool vfPool;
+	BufferPool statPool;
 };
 
 class CIO2Device
 {
 public:
+	static constexpr unsigned int CIO2_BUFFER_COUNT = 4;
+
 	CIO2Device()
 		: output_(nullptr), csi2_(nullptr), sensor_(nullptr)
 	{
@@ -136,12 +151,17 @@ public:
 	int configure(const StreamConfiguration &config,
 		      V4L2SubdeviceFormat *format);
 
+	BufferPool *exportBuffers();
+	void freeBuffers();
+
 	V4L2Device *output_;
 	V4L2Subdevice *csi2_;
 	V4L2Subdevice *sensor_;
 
 	/* Maximum sizes and the mbus code used to produce them. */
 	std::pair<unsigned int, SizeRange> maxSizes_;
+
+	BufferPool pool_;
 };
 
 class PipelineHandlerIPU3 : public PipelineHandler
@@ -301,18 +321,39 @@ int PipelineHandlerIPU3::configureStreams(Camera *camera,
 
 int PipelineHandlerIPU3::allocateBuffers(Camera *camera, Stream *stream)
 {
-	const StreamConfiguration &cfg = stream->configuration();
 	IPU3CameraData *data = cameraData(camera);
-	V4L2Device *cio2 = data->cio2_.output_;
+	CIO2Device *cio2 = &data->cio2_;
+	ImgUDevice *imgu = data->imgu_;
+	int ret;
 
-	if (!cfg.bufferCount)
-		return -EINVAL;
+	/* Share buffers between CIO2 output and ImgU input. */
+	BufferPool *pool = cio2->exportBuffers();
+	if (!pool)
+		return -ENOMEM;
 
-	int ret = cio2->exportBuffers(&stream->bufferPool());
-	if (ret) {
-		LOG(IPU3, Error) << "Failed to request memory";
+	ret = imgu->importBuffers(pool);
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
+
+	/* Export ImgU output buffers to the stream's pool. */
+	ret = imgu->exportBuffers(ImgUDevice::MAIN_OUTPUT,
+				  &stream->bufferPool());
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
+
+	/*
+	 * Reserve memory in viewfinder and stat output devices. Use the
+	 * same number of buffers as the ones requested for the output
+	 * stream.
+	 */
+	unsigned int bufferCount = stream->bufferPool().count();
+	ret = imgu->exportBuffers(ImgUDevice::SECONDARY_OUTPUT, bufferCount);
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
+
+	ret = imgu->exportBuffers(ImgUDevice::STAT, bufferCount);
+	if (ret)
 		return ret;
-	}
 
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -320,13 +361,9 @@ int PipelineHandlerIPU3::allocateBuffers(Camera *camera, Stream *stream)
 int PipelineHandlerIPU3::freeBuffers(Camera *camera, Stream *stream)
 {
 	IPU3CameraData *data = cameraData(camera);
-	V4L2Device *cio2 = data->cio2_.output_;
 
-	int ret = cio2->releaseBuffers();
-	if (ret) {
-		LOG(IPU3, Error) << "Failed to release memory";
-		return ret;
-	}
+	data->cio2_.freeBuffers();
+	data->imgu_->freeBuffers();
 
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -592,6 +629,7 @@ int ImgUDevice::init(MediaDevice *media, unsigned int index)
 	desc.dev = viewfinder_;
 	desc.pad = PAD_VF;
 	desc.name = "viewfinder";
+	desc.pool = &vfPool;
 	outputMap[SECONDARY_OUTPUT] = desc;
 
 	stat_ = V4L2Device::fromEntityName(media, name_ + " 3a stat");
@@ -603,6 +641,7 @@ int ImgUDevice::init(MediaDevice *media, unsigned int index)
 	desc.dev = stat_;
 	desc.pad = PAD_STAT;
 	desc.name = "stat";
+	desc.pool = &statPool;
 	outputMap[STAT] = desc;
 
 	return 0;
@@ -714,6 +753,86 @@ int ImgUDevice::configureOutput(enum OutputId id,
 	return 0;
 }
 
+/**
+ * \brief Import buffers from CIO2 device into the ImgU
+ * \param[in] pool The buffer pool to import
+ *
+ * \return 0 on success or a negative error code otherwise
+ */
+int ImgUDevice::importBuffers(BufferPool *pool)
+{
+	return input_->importBuffers(pool);
+}
+
+/**
+ * \brief Export buffers from output \a id to the provided \a pool
+ * \param[in] id The ImgU output identifier
+ * \param[in] pool The buffer pool where to export buffers
+ *
+ * Export memory buffers reserved in the video device memory associated with
+ * output \a id to the buffer pool provided as argument.
+ *
+ * \return 0 on success or a negative error code otherwise
+ */
+int ImgUDevice::exportBuffers(enum OutputId id, BufferPool *pool)
+{
+	V4L2Device *output = outputDevice(id);
+	const std::string &name = outputName(id);
+
+	int ret = output->exportBuffers(pool);
+	if (ret) {
+		LOG(IPU3, Error) << "Failed to reserve ImgU "
+				 << name << " buffers";
+		return ret;
+	}
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
+/**
+ * \brief Export buffers from output \a id to the an internal buffer pool
+ * \param[in] id The ImgU output identifier
+ * \param[in] count The number of buffers to reserve
+ *
+ * Export memory buffers reserved in the video device memory associated with
+ * output \a id to the output internal buffer pool.
+ *
+ * \return 0 on success or a negative error code otherwise
+ */
+int ImgUDevice::exportBuffers(enum OutputId id, unsigned int count)
+{
+	BufferPool *pool = outputPool(id);
+
+	/* Internal buffer pools needs memory to be allocated first. */
+	pool->createBuffers(count);
+
+	return exportBuffers(id, pool);
+}
+
+/**
+ * \brief Release buffers of the ImgU devices
+ */
+void ImgUDevice::freeBuffers()
+{
+	int ret;
+
+	ret = output_->releaseBuffers();
+	if (ret)
+		LOG(IPU3, Error) << "Failed to release ImgU output buffers";
+
+	ret = stat_->releaseBuffers();
+	if (ret)
+		LOG(IPU3, Error) << "Failed to release ImgU stat buffers";
+
+	ret = viewfinder_->releaseBuffers();
+	if (ret)
+		LOG(IPU3, Error) << "Failed to release ImgU viewfinder buffers";
+
+	ret = input_->releaseBuffers();
+	if (ret)
+		LOG(IPU3, Error) << "Failed to release ImgU input buffers";
+}
+
 /*------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  * CIO2 Device
  */
@@ -880,6 +999,33 @@ int CIO2Device::configure(const StreamConfiguration &config,
 	return 0;
 }
 
+/**
+ * \brief Reserve CIO2 memory buffers and export them in a BufferPool
+ *
+ * Allocate memory buffers in the CIO2 video device and export them to
+ * a buffer pool that will be later imported by the ImgU device.
+ *
+ * \return The buffer pool with export buffers on success or nullptr otherwise
+ */
+BufferPool *CIO2Device::exportBuffers()
+{
+	pool_.createBuffers(CIO2_BUFFER_COUNT);
+
+	int ret = output_->exportBuffers(&pool_);
+	if (ret) {
+		LOG(IPU3, Error) << "Failed to export CIO2 buffers";
+		return nullptr;
+	}
+
+	return &pool_;
+}
+
+void CIO2Device::freeBuffers()
+{
+	if (output_->releaseBuffers())
+		LOG(IPU3, Error) << "Failed to release CIO2 buffers";
+}
+
 REGISTER_PIPELINE_HANDLER(PipelineHandlerIPU3);
 
 } /* namespace libcamera */