diff --git a/make/modules/jdk.internal.vm.ci/Java.gmk b/make/modules/jdk.internal.vm.ci/Java.gmk
index cb569bb88170c..5e92f349a64e5 100644
--- a/make/modules/jdk.internal.vm.ci/Java.gmk
+++ b/make/modules/jdk.internal.vm.ci/Java.gmk
@@ -27,10 +27,14 @@
 
 DISABLED_WARNINGS_java += dangling-doc-comments this-escape
 
+# Target an older JDK so JVMCI class files can be read by Native Image
+# running on an older JDK.
+JVMCI_SOURCETARGET = $(BOOT_JDK_SOURCETARGET)
+
 # -parameters provides method's parameters information in class file,
 # JVMCI compilers make use of that information for various sanity checks.
 # Don't use Indy strings concatenation to have good JVMCI startup performance.
 
-JAVAC_FLAGS += -parameters -XDstringConcat=inline
+JAVAC_FLAGS += -parameters -XDstringConcat=inline $(JVMCI_SOURCETARGET)
 
 ################################################################################