diff --git a/config/arm/meson.build b/config/arm/meson.build
index 00bc4610a3..e3a23c4228 100644
--- a/config/arm/meson.build
+++ b/config/arm/meson.build
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ if dpdk_conf.get('RTE_ARCH_32')
 else
 	# aarch64 build
 	if not meson.is_cross_build()
-		if machine == 'default'
+		if platform == 'generic'
 			# default build
 			implementer_id = 'generic'
 			part_number = 'generic'
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ else
 	else
 		error('Unsupported Arm implementer: @0@. '.format(implementer_id) +
 		      'Please add support for it or use the generic ' +
-		      '(-Dmachine=generic) build.')
+		      '(-Dplatform=generic) build.')
 	endif
 
 	message('Arm implementer: ' + implementer_config['description'])
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ else
 		error('Unsupported part number @0@ of implementer @1@. '
 		      .format(part_number, implementer_id) +
 		      'Please add support for it or use the generic ' +
-		      '(-Dmachine=generic) build.')
+		      '(-Dplatform=generic) build.')
 	endif
 
 	# use default flags with implementer flags
diff --git a/config/meson.build b/config/meson.build
index 66a2edcc47..32c9e18c17 100644
--- a/config/meson.build
+++ b/config/meson.build
@@ -63,42 +63,63 @@ if not is_windows
 			pmd_subdir_opt)
 endif
 
-# set the machine type and cflags for it
+platform = get_option('platform')
+
+# set the cpu_instruction_set type and cflags for it
 if meson.is_cross_build()
-	machine = host_machine.cpu()
+	cpu_instruction_set = host_machine.cpu()
 else
-	machine = get_option('machine')
+	cpu_instruction_set = get_option('cpu_instruction_set')
+	if get_option('machine') != 'auto'
+		warning('The "machine" option is deprecated. ' +
+		        'Please use "cpu_instruction_set" instead.')
+		if cpu_instruction_set != 'auto'
+			error('Setting both "machine" and ' +
+			      '"cpu_instruction_set" is unsupported.')
+		endif
+		cpu_instruction_set = get_option('machine')
+	endif
+endif
+
+if platform == 'native'
+	if cpu_instruction_set == 'auto'
+		cpu_instruction_set = 'native'
+	endif
+elif platform == 'generic'
+	if cpu_instruction_set == 'auto'
+		cpu_instruction_set = 'default'
+	endif
 endif
 
-# machine type 'default' is special, it defaults to the per arch agreed common
+if cpu_instruction_set == 'default'
+# cpu_instruction_set type 'default' is special, it defaults to the per arch agreed common
 # minimal baseline needed for DPDK.
 # That might not be the most optimized, but the most portable version while
 # still being able to support the CPU features required for DPDK.
 # This can be bumped up by the DPDK project, but it can never be an
 # invariant like 'native'
-if machine == 'default'
 	if host_machine.cpu_family().startswith('x86')
 		# matches the old pre-meson build systems default
-		machine = 'corei7'
+		cpu_instruction_set = 'corei7'
 	elif host_machine.cpu_family().startswith('arm')
-		machine = 'armv7-a'
+		cpu_instruction_set = 'armv7-a'
 	elif host_machine.cpu_family().startswith('aarch')
 		# arm64 manages defaults in config/arm/meson.build
-		machine = 'default'
+		cpu_instruction_set = 'default'
 	elif host_machine.cpu_family().startswith('ppc')
-		machine = 'power8'
+		cpu_instruction_set = 'power8'
 	endif
 endif
 
-dpdk_conf.set('RTE_MACHINE', machine)
+dpdk_conf.set('RTE_MACHINE', cpu_instruction_set)
 machine_args = []
 
 # ppc64 does not support -march= at all, use -mcpu and -mtune for that
 if host_machine.cpu_family().startswith('ppc')
-	machine_args += '-mcpu=' + machine
-	machine_args += '-mtune=' + machine
+	machine_args += '-mcpu=' + cpu_instruction_set
+	machine_args += '-mtune=' + cpu_instruction_set
 else
-	machine_args += '-march=' + machine
+	machine_args += '-march=' + cpu_instruction_set
 endif
 
 toolchain = cc.get_id()
diff --git a/devtools/test-meson-builds.sh b/devtools/test-meson-builds.sh
index c11ae87e0d..b413b9e96a 100755
--- a/devtools/test-meson-builds.sh
+++ b/devtools/test-meson-builds.sh
@@ -223,12 +223,13 @@ done
 # test compilation with minimal x86 instruction set
 # Set the install path for libraries to "lib" explicitly to prevent problems
 # with pkg-config prefixes if installed in "lib/x86_64-linux-gnu" later.
-default_machine='nehalem'
-if ! check_cc_flags "-march=$default_machine" ; then
-	default_machine='corei7'
+default_isa='nehalem'
+if ! check_cc_flags "-march=$default_isa" ; then
+	default_isa='corei7'
 fi
 build build-x86-default cc skipABI -Dcheck_includes=true \
-	-Dlibdir=lib -Dmachine=$default_machine $use_shared
+	-Dlibdir=lib -Dcpu_instruction_set=$default_isa \
+	$use_shared
 
 # 32-bit with default compiler
 if check_cc_flags '-m32' ; then
diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
index 3b8c5d316d..c6047f3405 100644
--- a/meson_options.txt
+++ b/meson_options.txt
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 
 option('check_includes', type: 'boolean', value: false,
 	description: 'build "chkincs" to verify each header file can compile alone')
+option('cpu_instruction_set', type: 'string', value: 'auto',
+	description: 'Set the target machine ISA (instruction set architecture). Will be set according to the platform option by default.')
 option('disable_drivers', type: 'string', value: '',
 	description: 'Comma-separated list of drivers to explicitly disable.')
 option('drivers_install_subdir', type: 'string', value: 'dpdk/pmds-<VERSION>',
@@ -20,14 +22,16 @@ option('include_subdir_arch', type: 'string', value: '',
 	description: 'subdirectory where to install arch-dependent headers')
 option('kernel_dir', type: 'string', value: '',
 	description: 'Path to the kernel for building kernel modules. Headers must be in $kernel_dir or $kernel_dir/build. Modules will be installed in /lib/modules.')
-option('machine', type: 'string', value: 'native',
-	description: 'set the target machine type')
+option('machine', type: 'string', value: 'auto',
+	description: 'Set the target machine ISA (instruction set architecture).')
 option('max_ethports', type: 'integer', value: 32,
 	description: 'maximum number of Ethernet devices')
 option('max_lcores', type: 'integer', value: 128,
 	description: 'maximum number of cores/threads supported by EAL')
 option('max_numa_nodes', type: 'integer', value: 32,
 	description: 'maximum number of NUMA nodes supported by EAL')
+option('platform', type: 'string', value: 'generic',
+	description: 'Platform to build, either "native" or "generic".')
 option('enable_trace_fp', type: 'boolean', value: false,
 	description: 'enable fast path trace points.')
 option('tests', type: 'boolean', value: true,
