diff --git a/hw/ppc/pnv.c b/hw/ppc/pnv.c
index d46d91c76f..84b2389ea6 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/pnv.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/pnv.c
@@ -92,8 +92,7 @@ static int get_cpus_node(void *fdt)
     int cpus_offset = fdt_path_offset(fdt, "/cpus");
 
     if (cpus_offset < 0) {
-        cpus_offset = fdt_add_subnode(fdt, fdt_path_offset(fdt, "/"),
-                                      "cpus");
+        cpus_offset = fdt_add_subnode(fdt, 0, "cpus");
         if (cpus_offset) {
             _FDT((fdt_setprop_cell(fdt, cpus_offset, "#address-cells", 0x1)));
             _FDT((fdt_setprop_cell(fdt, cpus_offset, "#size-cells", 0x0)));
diff --git a/hw/ppc/spapr.c b/hw/ppc/spapr.c
index ff87f155d5..352ff3d614 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/spapr.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/spapr.c
@@ -353,8 +353,7 @@ static int spapr_fixup_cpu_dt(void *fdt, sPAPRMachineState *spapr)
 
         cpus_offset = fdt_path_offset(fdt, "/cpus");
         if (cpus_offset < 0) {
-            cpus_offset = fdt_add_subnode(fdt, fdt_path_offset(fdt, "/"),
-                                          "cpus");
+            cpus_offset = fdt_add_subnode(fdt, 0, "cpus");
             if (cpus_offset < 0) {
                 return cpus_offset;
             }