diff --git a/arch/powerpc/mm/numa.c b/arch/powerpc/mm/numa.c
index 5ddc83ba20f4..f63e1a41402f 100644
--- a/arch/powerpc/mm/numa.c
+++ b/arch/powerpc/mm/numa.c
@@ -507,6 +507,11 @@ static int numa_setup_cpu(unsigned long lcpu)
 	int fcpu = cpu_first_thread_sibling(lcpu);
 	int nid = NUMA_NO_NODE;
 
+	if (!cpu_present(lcpu)) {
+		set_cpu_numa_node(lcpu, first_online_node);
+		return first_online_node;
+	}
+
 	/*
 	 * If a valid cpu-to-node mapping is already available, use it
 	 * directly instead of querying the firmware, since it represents
@@ -944,8 +949,17 @@ void __init mem_topology_setup(void)
 
 	reset_numa_cpu_lookup_table();
 
-	for_each_present_cpu(cpu)
+	for_each_possible_cpu(cpu) {
+		/*
+		 * Powerpc with CONFIG_NUMA always used to have a node 0,
+		 * even if it was memoryless or cpuless. For all cpus that
+		 * are possible but not present, cpu_to_node() would point
+		 * to node 0. To remove a cpuless, memoryless dummy node,
+		 * powerpc need to make sure all possible but not present
+		 * cpu_to_node are set to a proper node.
+		 */
 		numa_setup_cpu(cpu);
+	}
 }
 
 void __init initmem_init(void)