diff --git a/cpp/bench/prims/CMakeLists.txt b/cpp/bench/prims/CMakeLists.txt
index c8c68f19bf..9d80cbaac2 100644
--- a/cpp/bench/prims/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/cpp/bench/prims/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -80,7 +80,14 @@ if(BUILD_PRIMS_BENCH)
     PATH
     core/bitset.cu
     core/copy.cu
-    core/popc.cu
+    main.cpp
+  )
+
+  ConfigureBench(
+    NAME
+    UTIL_BENCH
+    PATH
+    util/popc.cu
     main.cpp
   )
 
diff --git a/cpp/bench/prims/core/popc.cu b/cpp/bench/prims/util/popc.cu
similarity index 99%
rename from cpp/bench/prims/core/popc.cu
rename to cpp/bench/prims/util/popc.cu
index dfa4335140..249dc13d1e 100644
--- a/cpp/bench/prims/core/popc.cu
+++ b/cpp/bench/prims/util/popc.cu
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 
 #include <common/benchmark.hpp>
 
-#include <raft/core/popc.hpp>
+#include <raft/util/popc.cuh>
 
 namespace raft::bench::core {
 
diff --git a/cpp/include/raft/core/bitset.cuh b/cpp/include/raft/core/bitset.cuh
index 3b67e56eea..0cdb4c1fb6 100644
--- a/cpp/include/raft/core/bitset.cuh
+++ b/cpp/include/raft/core/bitset.cuh
@@ -19,12 +19,12 @@
 #include <raft/core/bitset.hpp>
 #include <raft/core/device_container_policy.hpp>
 #include <raft/core/device_mdarray.hpp>
-#include <raft/core/popc.hpp>
 #include <raft/core/resource/thrust_policy.hpp>
 #include <raft/core/resources.hpp>
 #include <raft/linalg/map.cuh>
 #include <raft/linalg/reduce.cuh>
 #include <raft/util/device_atomics.cuh>
+#include <raft/util/popc.cuh>
 
 #include <thrust/for_each.h>
 
diff --git a/cpp/include/raft/sparse/linalg/detail/masked_matmul.cuh b/cpp/include/raft/sparse/linalg/detail/masked_matmul.cuh
index 208328f2f3..ef74316d04 100644
--- a/cpp/include/raft/sparse/linalg/detail/masked_matmul.cuh
+++ b/cpp/include/raft/sparse/linalg/detail/masked_matmul.cuh
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 #pragma once
 
 #include <raft/core/bitmap.cuh>
-#include <raft/core/detail/popc.cuh>
 #include <raft/core/device_csr_matrix.hpp>
 #include <raft/core/device_mdarray.hpp>
 #include <raft/core/device_mdspan.hpp>
diff --git a/cpp/include/raft/core/detail/popc.cuh b/cpp/include/raft/util/detail/popc.cuh
similarity index 100%
rename from cpp/include/raft/core/detail/popc.cuh
rename to cpp/include/raft/util/detail/popc.cuh
diff --git a/cpp/include/raft/core/popc.hpp b/cpp/include/raft/util/popc.cuh
similarity index 97%
rename from cpp/include/raft/core/popc.hpp
rename to cpp/include/raft/util/popc.cuh
index fc6b6bd177..153694e45e 100644
--- a/cpp/include/raft/core/popc.hpp
+++ b/cpp/include/raft/util/popc.cuh
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
  */
 
 #pragma once
-#include <raft/core/detail/popc.cuh>
+#include <raft/util/detail/popc.cuh>
 namespace raft {
 
 /**
diff --git a/cpp/test/CMakeLists.txt b/cpp/test/CMakeLists.txt
index cb96ce2264..e3af6ebb78 100644
--- a/cpp/test/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/cpp/test/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -122,7 +122,6 @@ if(BUILD_TESTS)
     core/math_host.cpp
     core/operators_device.cu
     core/operators_host.cpp
-    core/popc.cu
     core/handle.cpp
     core/interruptible.cu
     core/nvtx.cpp
@@ -509,6 +508,7 @@ if(BUILD_TESTS)
     util/integer_utils.cpp
     util/integer_utils.cu
     util/memory_type_dispatcher.cu
+    util/popc.cu
     util/pow2_utils.cu
     util/reduction.cu
   )
diff --git a/cpp/test/core/popc.cu b/cpp/test/util/popc.cu
similarity index 99%
rename from cpp/test/core/popc.cu
rename to cpp/test/util/popc.cu
index 83dda79b6e..c08faacb07 100644
--- a/cpp/test/core/popc.cu
+++ b/cpp/test/util/popc.cu
@@ -19,10 +19,10 @@
 #include <raft/core/device_mdarray.hpp>
 #include <raft/core/device_mdspan.hpp>
 #include <raft/core/host_mdspan.hpp>
-#include <raft/core/popc.hpp>
 #include <raft/core/resource/cuda_stream.hpp>
 #include <raft/core/resources.hpp>
 #include <raft/util/cuda_utils.cuh>
+#include <raft/util/popc.cuh>
 
 #include <gtest/gtest.h>