diff --git a/hw/ppc/spapr.c b/hw/ppc/spapr.c
index 778fa25..2049d7d 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/spapr.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/spapr.c
@@ -1807,6 +1807,7 @@ static void ppc_spapr_init(MachineState *machine)
             if (i < spapr_cores) {
                 char *type = spapr_get_cpu_core_type(machine->cpu_model);
                 Object *core;
+                char *compat;
 
                 if (!object_class_by_name(type)) {
                     error_report("Unable to find sPAPR CPU Core definition");
@@ -1818,6 +1819,13 @@ static void ppc_spapr_init(MachineState *machine)
                                         &error_fatal);
                 object_property_set_int(core, core_dt_id, CPU_CORE_PROP_CORE_ID,
                                         &error_fatal);
+                compat = spapr_get_cpu_compat_type(machine->cpu_model);
+                if (compat) {
+                    object_property_set_str(core, compat, "compat",
+                                            &error_fatal);
+                    g_free(compat);
+                }
+
                 object_property_set_bool(core, true, "realized", &error_fatal);
             }
         }
diff --git a/hw/ppc/spapr_cpu_core.c b/hw/ppc/spapr_cpu_core.c
index 3a5da09..d500cd6 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/spapr_cpu_core.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/spapr_cpu_core.c
@@ -96,6 +96,31 @@ char *spapr_get_cpu_core_type(const char *model)
     return core_type;
 }
 
+/*
+ * Returns the CPU compat type specified in -cpu @model.
+ */
+char *spapr_get_cpu_compat_type(const char *model)
+{
+    char *model_str = g_strdup(model);
+    char *featurestr, *compat = NULL;
+
+    featurestr = model_str ? strtok(model_str, ",") : NULL;
+    while (featurestr) {
+        char *val;
+        if (!strncmp(featurestr, "compat=", 7)) {
+            val = strchr(featurestr, '=');
+            val++;
+            compat = g_strdup(val);
+            goto out;
+        }
+        featurestr = strtok(NULL, ",");
+    }
+
+out:
+    g_free(model_str);
+    return compat;
+}
+
 static void spapr_core_release(DeviceState *dev, void *opaque)
 {
     sPAPRCPUCore *sc = SPAPR_CPU_CORE(OBJECT(dev));
@@ -223,12 +248,31 @@ void spapr_core_pre_plug(HotplugHandler *hotplug_dev, DeviceState *dev,
     CPUCore *cc = CPU_CORE(dev);
     char *base_core_type = spapr_get_cpu_core_type(machine->cpu_model);
     const char *type = object_get_typename(OBJECT(dev));
+    char *base_compat_type = NULL;
+    char *compat = NULL;
+    bool compat_set;
 
     if (strcmp(base_core_type, type)) {
         error_setg(&local_err, "CPU core type should be %s", base_core_type);
         goto out;
     }
 
+    base_compat_type = spapr_get_cpu_compat_type(machine->cpu_model);
+    compat = object_property_get_str(OBJECT(dev), "compat", NULL);
+    compat_set = compat && *compat;
+
+    if (base_compat_type) {
+        if ((compat_set && strcmp(base_compat_type, compat)) ||
+            !compat_set) {
+            error_setg(&local_err, "CPU compat type should be %s",
+                       base_compat_type);
+            goto out;
+        }
+    } else if (compat_set) {
+        error_setg(&local_err, "CPU compat type shouldn't be set");
+        goto out;
+    }
+
     if (!smc->dr_cpu_enabled && dev->hotplugged) {
         error_setg(&local_err, "CPU hotplug not supported for this machine");
         goto out;
@@ -256,6 +300,8 @@ void spapr_core_pre_plug(HotplugHandler *hotplug_dev, DeviceState *dev,
     }
 
 out:
+    g_free(compat);
+    g_free(base_compat_type);
     g_free(base_core_type);
     error_propagate(errp, local_err);
 }
@@ -288,6 +334,8 @@ static void spapr_cpu_core_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
     Error *local_err = NULL;
     Object *obj;
     int i;
+    char *compat = object_property_get_str(OBJECT(sc), "compat", NULL);
+    bool compat_set = compat && *compat;
 
     sc->threads = g_malloc0(size * cc->nr_threads);
     for (i = 0; i < cc->nr_threads; i++) {
@@ -300,11 +348,18 @@ static void spapr_cpu_core_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
         if (local_err) {
             goto err;
         }
+        if (compat_set) {
+            object_property_set_str(obj, compat, "compat", &local_err);
+            if (local_err) {
+                goto err;
+            }
+        }
     }
     object_child_foreach(OBJECT(dev), spapr_cpu_core_realize_child, &local_err);
     if (local_err) {
         goto err;
     } else {
+        g_free(compat);
         return;
     }
 
@@ -315,9 +370,31 @@ err:
         i--;
     }
     g_free(sc->threads);
+    g_free(compat);
     error_propagate(errp, local_err);
 }
 
+static char *spapr_cpu_core_prop_get_compat(Object *obj, Error **errp)
+{
+    sPAPRCPUCore *core = SPAPR_CPU_CORE(obj);
+
+    return g_strdup(core->cpu_compat);
+}
+
+static void spapr_cpu_core_prop_set_compat(Object *obj, const char *val,
+                                           Error **errp)
+{
+    sPAPRCPUCore *core = SPAPR_CPU_CORE(obj);
+
+    core->cpu_compat = g_strdup(val);
+}
+
+static void spapr_cpu_core_instance_init(Object *obj)
+{
+    object_property_add_str(obj, "compat", spapr_cpu_core_prop_get_compat,
+                            spapr_cpu_core_prop_set_compat, NULL);
+}
+
 static void spapr_cpu_core_class_init(ObjectClass *oc, void *data)
 {
     DeviceClass *dc = DEVICE_CLASS(oc);
@@ -388,6 +465,7 @@ static const TypeInfo spapr_cpu_core_type_info = {
     .parent = TYPE_CPU_CORE,
     .abstract = true,
     .instance_size = sizeof(sPAPRCPUCore),
+    .instance_init = spapr_cpu_core_instance_init,
     .class_init = spapr_cpu_core_class_init,
 };
 
diff --git a/include/hw/ppc/spapr_cpu_core.h b/include/hw/ppc/spapr_cpu_core.h
index 1c9b319..e697dab 100644
--- a/include/hw/ppc/spapr_cpu_core.h
+++ b/include/hw/ppc/spapr_cpu_core.h
@@ -24,11 +24,13 @@ typedef struct sPAPRCPUCore {
     /*< public >*/
     void *threads;
     ObjectClass *cpu_class;
+    char *cpu_compat;
 } sPAPRCPUCore;
 
 void spapr_core_pre_plug(HotplugHandler *hotplug_dev, DeviceState *dev,
                          Error **errp);
 char *spapr_get_cpu_core_type(const char *model);
+char *spapr_get_cpu_compat_type(const char *model);
 void spapr_core_plug(HotplugHandler *hotplug_dev, DeviceState *dev,
                      Error **errp);
 void spapr_core_unplug(HotplugHandler *hotplug_dev, DeviceState *dev,
