diff --git a/hw/a15mpcore.c b/hw/a15mpcore.c
index 71142e51f5..67206ec870 100644
--- a/hw/a15mpcore.c
+++ b/hw/a15mpcore.c
@@ -21,10 +21,8 @@
 #include "sysbus.h"
 
 /* Configuration for arm_gic.c:
- * max number of CPUs, how to ID current CPU
+ * how to ID current CPU
  */
-#define NCPU 4
-
 static inline int gic_get_current_cpu(void)
 {
   return cpu_single_env->cpu_index;
@@ -45,10 +43,6 @@ static int a15mp_priv_init(SysBusDevice *dev)
 {
     A15MPPrivState *s = FROM_SYSBUSGIC(A15MPPrivState, dev);
 
-    if (s->num_cpu > NCPU) {
-        hw_error("a15mp_priv_init: num-cpu may not be more than %d\n", NCPU);
-    }
-
     gic_init(&s->gic, s->num_cpu, s->num_irq);
 
     /* Memory map (addresses are offsets from PERIPHBASE):
diff --git a/hw/a9mpcore.c b/hw/a9mpcore.c
index 03b128ce5b..5bbe3c76c5 100644
--- a/hw/a9mpcore.c
+++ b/hw/a9mpcore.c
@@ -11,10 +11,8 @@
 #include "sysbus.h"
 
 /* Configuration for arm_gic.c:
- * max number of CPUs, how to ID current CPU
+ * how to ID current CPU
  */
-#define NCPU 4
-
 static inline int
 gic_get_current_cpu(void)
 {
@@ -149,10 +147,6 @@ static int a9mp_priv_init(SysBusDevice *dev)
     SysBusDevice *busdev;
     int i;
 
-    if (s->num_cpu > NCPU) {
-        hw_error("a9mp_priv_init: num-cpu may not be more than %d\n", NCPU);
-    }
-
     gic_init(&s->gic, s->num_cpu, s->num_irq);
 
     s->mptimer = qdev_create(NULL, "arm_mptimer");
diff --git a/hw/arm11mpcore.c b/hw/arm11mpcore.c
index ba6a89d3ed..99c18269c1 100644
--- a/hw/arm11mpcore.c
+++ b/hw/arm11mpcore.c
@@ -10,8 +10,6 @@
 #include "sysbus.h"
 #include "qemu-timer.h"
 
-#define NCPU 4
-
 static inline int
 gic_get_current_cpu(void)
 {
diff --git a/hw/arm_gic.c b/hw/arm_gic.c
index 6b34c06a8f..f64a0015f4 100644
--- a/hw/arm_gic.c
+++ b/hw/arm_gic.c
@@ -15,6 +15,13 @@
 #define GIC_MAXIRQ 1020
 /* First 32 are private to each CPU (SGIs and PPIs). */
 #define GIC_INTERNAL 32
+/* Maximum number of possible CPU interfaces, determined by GIC architecture */
+#ifdef NVIC
+#define NCPU 1
+#else
+#define NCPU 8
+#endif
+
 //#define DEBUG_GIC
 
 #ifdef DEBUG_GIC
@@ -50,7 +57,7 @@ typedef struct gic_irq_state
     unsigned trigger:1; /* nonzero = edge triggered.  */
 } gic_irq_state;
 
-#define ALL_CPU_MASK ((1 << NCPU) - 1)
+#define ALL_CPU_MASK ((unsigned)(((1 << NCPU) - 1)))
 #if NCPU > 1
 #define NUM_CPU(s) ((s)->num_cpu)
 #else
@@ -813,6 +820,10 @@ static void gic_init(gic_state *s, int num_irq)
 
 #if NCPU > 1
     s->num_cpu = num_cpu;
+    if (s->num_cpu > NCPU) {
+        hw_error("requested %u CPUs exceeds GIC maximum %d\n",
+                 num_cpu, NCPU);
+    }
 #endif
     s->num_irq = num_irq + GIC_BASE_IRQ;
     if (s->num_irq > GIC_MAXIRQ) {
diff --git a/hw/armv7m_nvic.c b/hw/armv7m_nvic.c
index 3210129c3f..bdab709798 100644
--- a/hw/armv7m_nvic.c
+++ b/hw/armv7m_nvic.c
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@
 #include "arm-misc.h"
 #include "exec-memory.h"
 
-#define NCPU 1
 #define NVIC 1
 
 /* Only a single "CPU" interface is present.  */
diff --git a/hw/exynos4210_gic.c b/hw/exynos4210_gic.c
index 3ba9063f3c..426f540174 100644
--- a/hw/exynos4210_gic.c
+++ b/hw/exynos4210_gic.c
@@ -174,7 +174,6 @@ combiner_grp_to_gic_id[64-EXYNOS4210_MAX_EXT_COMBINER_OUT_IRQ][8] = {
 };
 
 #define EXYNOS4210_GIC_NIRQ 160
-#define NCPU                EXYNOS4210_NCPUS
 
 #define EXYNOS4210_EXT_GIC_CPU_REGION_SIZE     0x10000
 #define EXYNOS4210_EXT_GIC_DIST_REGION_SIZE    0x10000
@@ -275,8 +274,8 @@ typedef struct {
     gic_state gic;
     MemoryRegion cpu_container;
     MemoryRegion dist_container;
-    MemoryRegion cpu_alias[NCPU];
-    MemoryRegion dist_alias[NCPU];
+    MemoryRegion cpu_alias[EXYNOS4210_NCPUS];
+    MemoryRegion dist_alias[EXYNOS4210_NCPUS];
     uint32_t num_cpu;
 } Exynos4210GicState;
 
@@ -359,7 +358,7 @@ type_init(exynos4210_gic_register_types)
 typedef struct {
     SysBusDevice busdev;
 
-    qemu_irq pic_irq[NCPU]; /* output IRQs to PICs */
+    qemu_irq pic_irq[EXYNOS4210_NCPUS]; /* output IRQs to PICs */
     uint32_t gpio_level[EXYNOS4210_IRQ_GATE_NINPUTS]; /* Input levels */
 } Exynos4210IRQGateState;
 
@@ -424,7 +423,7 @@ static int exynos4210_irq_gate_init(SysBusDevice *dev)
             EXYNOS4210_IRQ_GATE_NINPUTS);
 
     /* Connect SysBusDev irqs to device specific irqs */
-    for (i = 0; i < NCPU; i++) {
+    for (i = 0; i < EXYNOS4210_NCPUS; i++) {
         sysbus_init_irq(dev, &s->pic_irq[i]);
     }
 
diff --git a/hw/realview_gic.c b/hw/realview_gic.c
index 071ef13c9e..d114242f27 100644
--- a/hw/realview_gic.c
+++ b/hw/realview_gic.c
@@ -9,8 +9,6 @@
 
 #include "sysbus.h"
 
-#define NCPU 1
-
 /* Only a single "CPU" interface is present.  */
 static inline int
 gic_get_current_cpu(void)
@@ -40,7 +38,7 @@ static int realview_gic_init(SysBusDevice *dev)
      * number of interrupt lines, so we don't need to expose this as
      * a qdev property.
      */
-    gic_init(&s->gic, 96);
+    gic_init(&s->gic, 1, 96);
     realview_gic_map_setup(s);
     sysbus_init_mmio(dev, &s->container);
     return 0;