diff --git a/core/iwasm/aot/aot_loader.c b/core/iwasm/aot/aot_loader.c
index 645f68b1..11c7495f 100644
--- a/core/iwasm/aot/aot_loader.c
+++ b/core/iwasm/aot/aot_loader.c
@@ -2378,7 +2378,6 @@ destroy_object_data_sections(AOTObjectDataSection *data_sections,
                 }
             }
 #endif
-            os_munmap(data_section->data, data_section->size);
         }
     wasm_runtime_free(data_sections);
 }
@@ -2392,6 +2391,9 @@ load_object_data_sections(const uint8 **p_buf, const uint8 *buf_end,
     AOTObjectDataSection *data_sections;
     uint64 size;
     uint32 i;
+    uint64 total_size = 0;
+    uint32 page_size = os_getpagesize();
+    uint8 *merged_sections = NULL;
 
     /* Allocate memory */
     size = sizeof(AOTObjectDataSection) * (uint64)module->data_section_count;
@@ -2400,8 +2402,22 @@ load_object_data_sections(const uint8 **p_buf, const uint8 *buf_end,
         return false;
     }
 
-    /* Create each data section */
+    /* First iteration: read data from buf, and calculate total memory needed */
     for (i = 0; i < module->data_section_count; i++) {
+        read_string(buf, buf_end, data_sections[i].name);
+        read_uint32(buf, buf_end, data_sections[i].size);
+        CHECK_BUF(buf, buf_end, data_sections[i].size);
+        /* temporary record data ptr for merge, will be replaced after mmaped */
+        if (data_sections[i].size > 0)
+            data_sections[i].data = (uint8 *)buf;
+        buf += data_sections[i].size;
+        total_size += align_uint64((uint64)data_sections[i].size, page_size);
+    }
+    if (total_size > UINT32_MAX) {
+        set_error_buf(error_buf, error_buf_size, "data sections too large");
+        return false;
+    }
+    if (total_size > 0) {
         int map_prot = MMAP_PROT_READ | MMAP_PROT_WRITE;
 #if defined(BUILD_TARGET_X86_64) || defined(BUILD_TARGET_AMD_64) \
     || defined(BUILD_TARGET_RISCV64_LP64D)                       \
@@ -2412,29 +2428,33 @@ load_object_data_sections(const uint8 **p_buf, const uint8 *buf_end,
 #else
         int map_flags = MMAP_MAP_NONE;
 #endif
-
-        read_string(buf, buf_end, data_sections[i].name);
-        read_uint32(buf, buf_end, data_sections[i].size);
-
         /* Allocate memory for data */
-        if (data_sections[i].size > 0
-            && !(data_sections[i].data =
-                     os_mmap(NULL, data_sections[i].size, map_prot, map_flags,
-                             os_get_invalid_handle()))) {
+        merged_sections = module->merged_data_sections =
+            os_mmap(NULL, (uint32)total_size, map_prot, map_flags,
+                    os_get_invalid_handle());
+        if (!merged_sections) {
             set_error_buf(error_buf, error_buf_size, "allocate memory failed");
             return false;
         }
+        module->merged_data_sections_size = (uint32)total_size;
 #if defined(BUILD_TARGET_X86_64) || defined(BUILD_TARGET_AMD_64)
 #if !defined(BH_PLATFORM_LINUX_SGX) && !defined(BH_PLATFORM_WINDOWS) \
     && !defined(BH_PLATFORM_DARWIN)
         /* address must be in the first 2 Gigabytes of
            the process address space */
-        bh_assert((uintptr_t)data_sections[i].data < INT32_MAX);
+        bh_assert((uintptr_t)merged_sections < INT32_MAX);
 #endif
 #endif
+    }
 
-        read_byte_array(buf, buf_end, data_sections[i].data,
-                        data_sections[i].size);
+    /* Second iteration: Create each data section */
+    for (i = 0; i < module->data_section_count; i++) {
+        if (data_sections[i].size > 0) {
+            bh_memcpy_s(merged_sections, data_sections[i].size,
+                        data_sections[i].data, data_sections[i].size);
+            data_sections[i].data = merged_sections;
+            merged_sections += align_uint(data_sections[i].size, page_size);
+        }
     }
 
     *p_buf = buf;
@@ -2532,6 +2552,90 @@ fail:
     return false;
 }
 
+#if !defined(BH_PLATFORM_NUTTX) && !defined(BH_PLATFORM_ESP_IDF)
+static bool
+try_merge_data_and_text(const uint8 **buf, const uint8 **buf_end,
+                        AOTModule *module, char *error_buf,
+                        uint32 error_buf_size)
+{
+    uint8 *old_buf = (uint8 *)*buf;
+    uint8 *old_end = (uint8 *)*buf_end;
+    size_t code_size = (size_t)(old_end - old_buf);
+    uint32 page_size = os_getpagesize();
+    uint64 total_size = 0;
+    uint32 i;
+    uint8 *sections;
+
+    if (code_size == 0) {
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    /* calc total memory needed */
+    total_size += align_uint64((uint64)code_size, page_size);
+    for (i = 0; i < module->data_section_count; ++i) {
+        total_size +=
+            align_uint64((uint64)module->data_sections[i].size, page_size);
+    }
+    /* distance between .data and .text should not greater than 4GB for some
+     * targets (eg. arm64 reloc need < 4G distance) */
+    if (total_size > UINT32_MAX) {
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    if (total_size != 0) {
+        int map_prot = MMAP_PROT_READ | MMAP_PROT_WRITE;
+
+#if defined(BUILD_TARGET_X86_64) || defined(BUILD_TARGET_AMD_64) \
+    || defined(BUILD_TARGET_RISCV64_LP64D)                       \
+    || defined(BUILD_TARGET_RISCV64_LP64)
+        /* aot code and data in x86_64 must be in range 0 to 2G due
+           to relocation for R_X86_64_32/32S/PC32 */
+        int map_flags = MMAP_MAP_32BIT;
+#else
+        int map_flags = MMAP_MAP_NONE;
+#endif
+
+        sections = os_mmap(NULL, (uint32)total_size, map_prot, map_flags,
+                           os_get_invalid_handle());
+        if (!sections) {
+            /* merge failed but maybe not critical for some targes */
+            return false;
+        }
+        if (os_mprotect(sections, code_size, map_prot | MMAP_PROT_EXEC) != 0) {
+            os_munmap(sections, (uint32)total_size);
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        module->merged_data_text_sections = sections;
+        module->merged_data_text_sections_size = (uint32)total_size;
+
+        /* order not essential just as compilers do: .text section first */
+        *buf = sections;
+        *buf_end = sections + code_size;
+        bh_memcpy_s(sections, code_size, old_buf, code_size);
+        os_munmap(old_buf, code_size);
+        sections += align_uint((uint32)code_size, page_size);
+
+        /* then .data sections */
+        for (i = 0; i < module->data_section_count; ++i) {
+            AOTObjectDataSection *data_section = module->data_sections + i;
+            uint8 *old_data = data_section->data;
+            data_section->data = sections;
+            bh_memcpy_s(data_section->data, data_section->size, old_data,
+                        data_section->size);
+            sections += align_uint(data_section->size, page_size);
+        }
+        if (module->merged_data_sections) {
+            os_munmap(module->merged_data_sections,
+                      module->merged_data_sections_size);
+            module->merged_data_sections = NULL;
+            module->merged_data_sections_size = 0;
+        }
+    }
+    return true;
+}
+#endif //! defined(BH_PLATFORM_NUTTX) && !defined(BH_PLATFORM_ESP_IDF)
+
 static bool
 load_text_section(const uint8 *buf, const uint8 *buf_end, AOTModule *module,
                   char *error_buf, uint32 error_buf_size)
@@ -3749,6 +3853,17 @@ load_from_sections(AOTModule *module, AOTSection *sections,
                     return false;
                 break;
             case AOT_SECTION_TYPE_TEXT:
+#if !defined(BH_PLATFORM_NUTTX) && !defined(BH_PLATFORM_ESP_IDF)
+                /* try to merge .data and .text, with exceptions:
+                 * 1. XIP mode
+                 * 2. pre-mmapped module load from aot_load_from_sections()
+                 * 3. nuttx & esp-idf: have separate region for MMAP_PROT_EXEC
+                 */
+                if (!module->is_indirect_mode && is_load_from_file_buf)
+                    if (!try_merge_data_and_text(&buf, &buf_end, module,
+                                                 error_buf, error_buf_size))
+                        LOG_WARNING("merge .data and .text sections failed");
+#endif //! defined(BH_PLATFORM_NUTTX) && !defined(BH_PLATFORM_ESP_IDF)
                 if (!load_text_section(buf, buf_end, module, error_buf,
                                        error_buf_size))
                     return false;
@@ -4179,7 +4294,11 @@ load(const uint8 *buf, uint32 size, AOTModule *module,
     if (!ret) {
         /* If load_from_sections() fails, then aot text is destroyed
            in destroy_sections() */
-        destroy_sections(section_list, module->is_indirect_mode ? false : true);
+        destroy_sections(section_list,
+                         module->is_indirect_mode
+                                 || module->merged_data_text_sections
+                             ? false
+                             : true);
         /* aot_unload() won't destroy aot text again */
         module->code = NULL;
     }
@@ -4329,7 +4448,8 @@ aot_unload(AOTModule *module)
     }
 #endif
 
-    if (module->code && !module->is_indirect_mode) {
+    if (module->code && !module->is_indirect_mode
+        && !module->merged_data_text_sections) {
         /* The layout is: literal size + literal + code (with plt table) */
         uint8 *mmap_addr = module->literal - sizeof(uint32);
         uint32 total_size =
@@ -4364,6 +4484,14 @@ aot_unload(AOTModule *module)
         destroy_object_data_sections(module->data_sections,
                                      module->data_section_count);
 
+    if (module->merged_data_sections)
+        os_munmap(module->merged_data_sections,
+                  module->merged_data_sections_size);
+
+    if (module->merged_data_text_sections)
+        os_munmap(module->merged_data_text_sections,
+                  module->merged_data_text_sections_size);
+
 #if WASM_ENABLE_DEBUG_AOT != 0
     jit_code_entry_destroy(module->elf_hdr);
 #endif
diff --git a/core/iwasm/aot/aot_runtime.h b/core/iwasm/aot/aot_runtime.h
index e3704f82..05d66386 100644
--- a/core/iwasm/aot/aot_runtime.h
+++ b/core/iwasm/aot/aot_runtime.h
@@ -315,6 +315,13 @@ typedef struct AOTModule {
 
     /* Whether the underlying wasm binary buffer can be freed */
     bool is_binary_freeable;
+
+    /* `.data` sections merged into one mmaped to reduce the tlb cache miss */
+    uint8 *merged_data_sections;
+    uint32 merged_data_sections_size;
+    /* `.data` and `.text` sections merged into one large mmaped section */
+    uint8 *merged_data_text_sections;
+    uint32 merged_data_text_sections_size;
 } AOTModule;
 
 #define AOTMemoryInstance WASMMemoryInstance