diff --git a/riscv-runtime/powdr.x b/riscv-runtime/powdr.x
index a9e7e88c96..2ce52183e9 100644
--- a/riscv-runtime/powdr.x
+++ b/riscv-runtime/powdr.x
@@ -1,6 +1,14 @@
 # Powdr linker script.
 #
-# If you are using powdr-riscv-runtime, it expects the following
+# A segment of type LOOS+0xda (0x600000da) is understood by powdr, and it
+# delimits an unconstrained memory region that can be used to pass data
+# to the ZK program. If present, this region must be bigger than
+# one page (2 KB), have a power of 2 size, and be aligned to its own size.
+#
+# This linker script defines the user data segment to be the second 256 MB
+# chunk of the address space.
+#
+# If you are using powdr-riscv-runtime, it also expects the following
 # symbols to be defined:
 #   __global_pointer$
 #   __powdr_stack_start
@@ -8,33 +16,56 @@
 #   __powdr_prover_data_end
 #
 # Where "__powdr_prover_data_init" and "__powdr_prover_data_end"
-# defines a region bigger than 1 page (2 KB), whose size is a
-# power of 2, and aligned to its size.
+# defines the bounds of the prover data segment.
 #
 # This linker script provides usable definitions to these
 # symbols, with a stack of almost 256 MB. If you are not building
 # via powdr-rs, you must manually specify "-C link-arg=-Tpowdr.x"
 # in rustc to use this linker script (e.g. via RUSTFLAGS).
 
+PHDRS {
+  # The powdr specific p_type 0x600000da indicates to
+  # powdr ELF parser where the prover data is.
+  powdr_prover_data_seg 0x600000da;
+
+  # text is R (4) + X (1)
+  text_seg PT_LOAD FLAGS(5);
+
+  # data and bss segments are R (4) + W (2)
+  # there is no point in having a separated rodata segment because powdr doesn't enforce permissions
+  data_seg PT_LOAD FLAGS(6);
+  bss_seg PT_LOAD FLAGS(6);
+}
+
 SECTIONS
 {
   # Stack starts backwards from here (one 2 KB page short of 256 MB)
-  __powdr_stack_start = 0x10000000 - 0x800;
+  PROVIDE( __powdr_stack_start = 0x10000000 - 0x800 );
 
-  # The prover data (the second 256 MB chunk of the address space)
-  __powdr_prover_data_start = 0x10000000;
-  __powdr_prover_data_end = 0x20000000;
+  # The prover data section bounds (the second 256 MB chunk of the address space)
+  . = 0x10000000;
+  .powdr.prover.data (NOLOAD) : {
+    PROVIDE( __powdr_prover_data_start = . );
+    . += 0x10000000;
+    PROVIDE( __powdr_prover_data_end = . );
+  } :powdr_prover_data_seg
 
-  # Data starts here, one page after the prover data.
-  . = 0x20000000 + 0x800;
-  .data : {
-    *(.data)
-    PROVIDE( __global_pointer$ = . + 0x800 );
-  }
-  .bss : { *(.bss) }
+  # Place the rest of the segments one page after the prover data.
+  . += 0x800;
 
   # Text addresses are fake in powdr, we use a different address space.
-  .text : { *(.text) }
+  .text : ALIGN(4) { *(.text) } :text_seg
+
+  .bss : { *(.sbss .bss .bss.*) } :bss_seg
+
+  .rodata : ALIGN(4) {
+    PROVIDE( __global_pointer$ = . + 0x800 );
+    *(.rodata .rodata.* )
+  } :data_seg
+
+  .data : {
+    *(.data .data.* )
+  } :data_seg
 }
 
 # Specify the entry point function provided by powdr-riscv-runtime:
diff --git a/riscv/src/elf/mod.rs b/riscv/src/elf/mod.rs
index 06fd1593bf..fc621da3d6 100644
--- a/riscv/src/elf/mod.rs
+++ b/riscv/src/elf/mod.rs
@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@ use self::debug_info::DebugInfo;
 
 mod debug_info;
 
+/// The program header type (p_type) for Powdr prover data segments.
+pub const PT_POWDR_PROVER_DATA: u32 = 0x600000da;
+
 /// Generates a Powdr Assembly program from a RISC-V 32 executable ELF file.
 pub fn translate(file_name: &Path, options: CompilerOptions) -> String {
     let elf_program = load_elf(file_name);
@@ -80,13 +83,27 @@ fn load_elf(file_name: &Path) -> ElfProgram {
 
     // Map of addresses into memory sections, so we can know what address belong
     // in what section.
-    let address_map = AddressMap(
-        elf.program_headers
-            .iter()
-            .filter(|p| p.p_type == PT_LOAD)
-            .map(|p| (p.p_vaddr as u32, p))
-            .collect(),
-    );
+    let mut address_map = AddressMap(BTreeMap::new());
+    let mut prover_data_bounds = None;
+    for ph in elf.program_headers.iter() {
+        match ph.p_type {
+            PT_LOAD => {
+                address_map.0.insert(ph.p_vaddr as u32, ph);
+            }
+            PT_POWDR_PROVER_DATA => {
+                assert_eq!(
+                    prover_data_bounds, None,
+                    "Only one prover data segment is supported!"
+                );
+                prover_data_bounds =
+                    Some((ph.p_vaddr as u32, ph.p_vaddr as u32 + ph.p_memsz as u32));
+            }
+            _ => {}
+        }
+    }
+
+    // If no prover data segment was provided, make it empty.
+    let prover_data_bounds = prover_data_bounds.unwrap_or((0, 0));
 
     // Set of R_RISCV_HI20 relocations, needed in non-PIE code to identify
     // loading of absolute addresses to text.
@@ -191,8 +208,7 @@ fn load_elf(file_name: &Path) -> ElfProgram {
         text_labels: referenced_text_addrs,
         instructions: lifted_text_sections,
         entry_point: elf.entry as u32,
-        // TODO: properly load these from the ELF instead of hardcoding them.
-        prover_data_bounds: (0x10000000, 0x20000000),
+        prover_data_bounds,
     }
 }