diff --git a/easystacks/pilot.nessi.no/2023.06/eessi-2023.06-eb-4.9.0-2023a.yml b/easystacks/pilot.nessi.no/2023.06/eessi-2023.06-eb-4.9.0-2023a.yml
index cf0955accf..e402975917 100644
--- a/easystacks/pilot.nessi.no/2023.06/eessi-2023.06-eb-4.9.0-2023a.yml
+++ b/easystacks/pilot.nessi.no/2023.06/eessi-2023.06-eb-4.9.0-2023a.yml
@@ -56,3 +56,4 @@ easyconfigs:
   - LittleCMS-2.15-GCCcore-12.3.0.eb
       # This easyconfig is added to overcome the failing of check_missing_installations against the development branch
   - parallel-20230722-GCCcore-12.3.0.eb
+  - Highway-1.0.4-GCCcore-12.3.0.eb
diff --git a/eb_hooks.py b/eb_hooks.py
index ec86f988c3..144fb687c5 100644
--- a/eb_hooks.py
+++ b/eb_hooks.py
@@ -20,8 +20,9 @@
     from distutils.version import LooseVersion
 
 
+CPU_TARGET_NEOVERSE_N1 = 'aarch64/neoverse_n1'
 CPU_TARGET_NEOVERSE_V1 = 'aarch64/neoverse_v1'
-CPU_TARGET_AARCH64_GENERIC = 'aarch64/generic' 
+CPU_TARGET_AARCH64_GENERIC = 'aarch64/generic'
 
 EESSI_RPATH_OVERRIDE_ATTR = 'orig_rpath_override_dirs'
 
@@ -115,6 +116,9 @@ def pre_prepare_hook(self, *args, **kwargs):
         print_msg("Updated rpath_override_dirs (to allow overriding MPI family %s): %s",
                   mpi_family, rpath_override_dirs)
 
+    if self.name in PRE_PREPARE_HOOKS:
+        PRE_PREPARE_HOOKS[self.name](self, *args, **kwargs)
+
 
 def post_prepare_hook_gcc_prefixed_ld_rpath_wrapper(self, *args, **kwargs):
     """
@@ -308,6 +312,42 @@ def parse_hook_lammps_remove_deps_for_CI_aarch64(ec, *args, **kwargs):
         raise EasyBuildError("LAMMPS-specific hook triggered for non-LAMMPS easyconfig?!")
 
 
+def pre_prepare_hook_highway_handle_test_compilation_issues(self, *args, **kwargs):
+    """
+    Solve issues with compiling or running the tests on both
+    neoverse_n1 and neoverse_v1 with Highway 1.0.4 and GCC 12.3.0:
+      - for neoverse_n1 we set optarch to GENERIC
+      - for neoverse_v1 we completely disable the tests
+    cfr. https://github.com/EESSI/software-layer/issues/469
+    """
+    if self.name == 'Highway':
+        tcname, tcversion = self.toolchain.name, self.toolchain.version
+        cpu_target = get_eessi_envvar('EESSI_SOFTWARE_SUBDIR')
+        # note: keep condition in sync with the one used in 
+        # post_prepare_hook_highway_handle_test_compilation_issues
+        if self.version in ['1.0.4'] and tcname == 'GCCcore' and tcversion == '12.3.0':
+            if cpu_target == CPU_TARGET_NEOVERSE_V1:
+                self.cfg.update('configopts', '-DHWY_ENABLE_TESTS=OFF')
+            if cpu_target == CPU_TARGET_NEOVERSE_N1:
+                self.orig_optarch = build_option('optarch')
+                update_build_option('optarch', OPTARCH_GENERIC)
+    else:
+        raise EasyBuildError("Highway-specific hook triggered for non-Highway easyconfig?!")
+
+
+def post_prepare_hook_highway_handle_test_compilation_issues(self, *args, **kwargs):
+    """
+    Post-prepare hook for Highway to reset optarch build option.
+    """
+    if self.name == 'Highway':
+        tcname, tcversion = self.toolchain.name, self.toolchain.version
+        cpu_target = get_eessi_envvar('EESSI_SOFTWARE_SUBDIR')
+        # note: keep condition in sync with the one used in 
+        # pre_prepare_hook_highway_handle_test_compilation_issues
+        if self.version in ['1.0.4'] and tcname == 'GCCcore' and tcversion == '12.3.0':
+            if cpu_target == CPU_TARGET_NEOVERSE_N1:
+                update_build_option('optarch', self.orig_optarch)
+
 def pre_configure_hook(self, *args, **kwargs):
     """Main pre-configure hook: trigger custom functions based on software name."""
     if self.name in PRE_CONFIGURE_HOOKS:
@@ -628,16 +668,21 @@ def inject_gpu_property(ec):
     'fontconfig': parse_hook_fontconfig_add_fonts,
     'GPAW': parse_hook_gpaw_harcoded_path,
     'ImageMagick': parse_hook_imagemagick_add_dependency,
+    'LAMMPS': parse_hook_lammps_remove_deps_for_CI_aarch64,
     'OpenBLAS': parse_hook_openblas_relax_lapack_tests_num_errors,
     'Pillow-SIMD' : parse_hook_Pillow_SIMD_harcoded_paths,
     'pybind11': parse_hook_pybind11_replace_catch2,
     'Qt5': parse_hook_qt5_check_qtwebengine_disable,
     'UCX': parse_hook_ucx_eprefix,
-    'LAMMPS': parse_hook_lammps_remove_deps_for_CI_aarch64,
+}
+
+PRE_PREPARE_HOOKS = {
+    'Highway': pre_prepare_hook_highway_handle_test_compilation_issues,
 }
 
 POST_PREPARE_HOOKS = {
     'GCCcore': post_prepare_hook_gcc_prefixed_ld_rpath_wrapper,
+    'Highway': post_prepare_hook_highway_handle_test_compilation_issues,
 }
 
 PRE_CONFIGURE_HOOKS = {
diff --git a/eessi-2023.06-known-issues.yml b/eessi-2023.06-known-issues.yml
index 875757559e..be8283207b 100644
--- a/eessi-2023.06-known-issues.yml
+++ b/eessi-2023.06-known-issues.yml
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@
     - issue: https://github.com/EESSI/software-layer/issues/461
     - info: "8 failing tests (out of 209539) on aarch64/*"
 - aarch64/neoverse_n1:
+  - Highway-1.0.4-GCCcore-12.3.0.eb:
+    - issue: https://github.com/EESSI/software-layer/issues/469
+      - info: "failing to build the tests"
   - PyTorch-2.1.2-foss-2023a:
     - issue: https://github.com/EESSI/software-layer/issues/461
     - info: "8 failing tests (out of 209539) on aarch64/*"
@@ -19,6 +22,9 @@
   - Highway-1.0.3-GCCcore-12.2.0.eb:
     - issue: https://github.com/EESSI/software-layer/issues/469
     - info: "failing SVE test due to wrong expected value"
+  - Highway-1.0.4-GCCcore-12.3.0.eb:
+      - issue: https://github.com/EESSI/software-layer/issues/469
+      - info: "failing to build the tests"
   - netCDF-4.9.2-gompi-2023a.eb:
       - issue: https://github.com/EESSI/software-layer/issues/425
       - info: "netCDF intermittent test failures"