diff --git a/pkg/api/machine.go b/pkg/api/machine.go
index 3af71157..0d5e9220 100644
--- a/pkg/api/machine.go
+++ b/pkg/api/machine.go
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 package api
 
 import (
-	"net"
 	"time"
 )
 
@@ -97,7 +96,7 @@ type NetworkInterfaceStatus struct {
 	Name   string                `json:"name"`
 	Handle string                `json:"handle"`
 	State  NetworkInterfaceState `json:"state"`
-	IPs    []net.IP              `json:"ips"`
+	IPs    []string              `json:"ips"`
 }
 
 type NetworkInterfaceState string
diff --git a/pkg/controllers/machine_controller_nics.go b/pkg/controllers/machine_controller_nics.go
index 34537977..405b6d37 100644
--- a/pkg/controllers/machine_controller_nics.go
+++ b/pkg/controllers/machine_controller_nics.go
@@ -172,6 +172,7 @@ func (r *MachineReconciler) attachDetachNetworkInterfaces(
 				Name:   nicName,
 				Handle: mountedNic.networkInterface.Handle,
 				State:  api.NetworkInterfaceStateAttached,
+				IPs:    desiredNic.Ips,
 			})
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/plugins/networkinterface/apinet/apinet.go b/pkg/plugins/networkinterface/apinet/apinet.go
index 3caa92bc..f072809d 100644
--- a/pkg/plugins/networkinterface/apinet/apinet.go
+++ b/pkg/plugins/networkinterface/apinet/apinet.go
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
-	"net"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strconv"
@@ -147,24 +146,8 @@ func (p *Plugin) Apply(ctx context.Context, spec *api.NetworkInterfaceSpec, mach
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("error applying apinet network interface: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	hostDev, err := getHostDevice(apinetNic)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("error getting host device: %w", err)
-	}
-	if hostDev != nil {
-		log.V(1).Info("Host device is ready", "HostDevice", hostDev)
-		return &providernetworkinterface.NetworkInterface{
-			Handle: provider.GetNetworkInterfaceID(
-				apinetNic.Namespace,
-				apinetNic.Name,
-				apinetNic.Spec.NodeRef.Name,
-				apinetNic.UID,
-			),
-			HostDevice: hostDev,
-		}, nil
-	}
-
 	log.V(1).Info("Waiting for apinet network interface to become ready")
+	var hostDev *providernetworkinterface.HostDevice
 	apinetNicKey := client.ObjectKeyFromObject(apinetNic)
 	if err := wait.PollUntilContextTimeout(ctx, 50*time.Millisecond, 5*time.Second, true, func(ctx context.Context) (done bool, err error) {
 		if err := p.host.APINetClient().Get(ctx, apinetNicKey, apinetNic); err != nil {
@@ -180,17 +163,12 @@ func (p *Plugin) Apply(ctx context.Context, spec *api.NetworkInterfaceSpec, mach
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("error waiting for nic to become ready: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	// Fetch the updated object to get the ID or any other updated fields
-	if err := p.host.APINetClient().Get(ctx, apinetNicKey, apinetNic); err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("error fetching updated apinet network interface: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	log.V(1).Info("Host device is ready", "HostDevice", hostDev)
-	nicIPs := make([]net.IP, 0, len(apinetNic.Spec.IPs))
+	nicIPs := make([]string, 0, len(apinetNic.Spec.IPs))
 	for _, apinetNicIP := range apinetNic.Spec.IPs {
 		// TODO: do proper IP type conversion here
-		nicIPs = append(nicIPs, net.ParseIP(apinetNicIP.String()))
+		nicIPs = append(nicIPs, apinetNicIP.String())
 	}
+	log.V(1).Info("Host device is ready", "HostDevice", hostDev, "IPs", nicIPs)
 	return &providernetworkinterface.NetworkInterface{
 		Handle: provider.GetNetworkInterfaceID(
 			apinetNic.Namespace,
diff --git a/pkg/plugins/networkinterface/plugins.go b/pkg/plugins/networkinterface/plugins.go
index 590f85a1..5b9fd6d6 100644
--- a/pkg/plugins/networkinterface/plugins.go
+++ b/pkg/plugins/networkinterface/plugins.go
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ package networkinterface
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
-	"net"
 
 	computev1alpha1 "github.com/ironcore-dev/ironcore/api/compute/v1alpha1"
 	networkingv1alpha1 "github.com/ironcore-dev/ironcore/api/networking/v1alpha1"
@@ -101,7 +100,7 @@ type NetworkInterface struct {
 	HostDevice      *HostDevice
 	Isolated        *Isolated
 	ProviderNetwork *ProviderNetwork
-	IPs             []net.IP
+	IPs             []string
 }
 
 type Isolated struct{}
diff --git a/provider/server/machine.go b/provider/server/machine.go
index 202f5acf..0ca87480 100644
--- a/provider/server/machine.go
+++ b/provider/server/machine.go
@@ -138,15 +138,11 @@ func (s *Server) getIRINICStatus(machine *api.Machine) ([]*iri.NetworkInterfaceS
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get nic state: %w", err)
 		}
 
-		nicIPs := make([]string, 0, len(nic.IPs))
-		for _, ip := range nic.IPs {
-			nicIPs = append(nicIPs, ip.String())
-		}
 		nics = append(nics, &iri.NetworkInterfaceStatus{
 			Name:   nic.Name,
 			Handle: nic.Handle,
 			State:  state,
-			Ips:    nicIPs,
+			Ips:    nic.IPs,
 		})
 	}