diff --git a/executer/include/uprotocol.h b/executer/include/uprotocol.h
index b7e3020e..1e555733 100644
--- a/executer/include/uprotocol.h
+++ b/executer/include/uprotocol.h
@@ -79,6 +79,10 @@ struct program_image_section {
 #define SHELL_PATH_MAX_LEN	1024
 #define MCK_RLIM_MAX	20
 
+#define PLD_CPU_SET_MAX_CPUS 1024
+typedef unsigned long __cpu_set_unit;
+#define PLD_CPU_SET_SIZE (PLD_CPU_SET_MAX_CPUS / (8 * sizeof(__cpu_set_unit)))
+
 struct program_load_desc {
 	int num_sections;
 	int status;
@@ -108,6 +112,7 @@ struct program_load_desc {
 	struct rlimit rlimit[MCK_RLIM_MAX];
 	unsigned long interp_align;
 	char shell_path[SHELL_PATH_MAX_LEN];
+	__cpu_set_unit cpu_set[PLD_CPU_SET_SIZE];
 	struct program_image_section sections[0];
 };
 
diff --git a/kernel/host.c b/kernel/host.c
index 25969544..b2ac26ab 100644
--- a/kernel/host.c
+++ b/kernel/host.c
@@ -393,7 +393,9 @@ static int process_msg_prepare_process(unsigned long rphys)
 	memcpy_long(pn, p, sizeof(struct program_load_desc) 
 	            + sizeof(struct program_image_section) * n);
 
-	if((thread = create_thread(p->entry)) == NULL){
+	if ((thread = create_thread(p->entry,
+					(unsigned long *)&p->cpu_set,
+					sizeof(p->cpu_set))) == NULL) {
 		kfree(pn);
 		ihk_mc_unmap_virtual(p, npages, 1);
 		ihk_mc_unmap_memory(NULL, phys, sz);
diff --git a/kernel/include/process.h b/kernel/include/process.h
index 7f0bc656..57acdb27 100644
--- a/kernel/include/process.h
+++ b/kernel/include/process.h
@@ -700,7 +700,8 @@ static inline int has_cap_sys_admin(struct thread *th)
 
 void hold_address_space(struct address_space *);
 void release_address_space(struct address_space *);
-struct thread *create_thread(unsigned long user_pc);
+struct thread *create_thread(unsigned long user_pc,
+		unsigned long *__cpu_set, size_t cpu_set_size);
 struct thread *clone_thread(struct thread *org, unsigned long pc,
                               unsigned long sp, int clone_flags);
 void destroy_thread(struct thread *thread);
diff --git a/kernel/include/syscall.h b/kernel/include/syscall.h
index d60cac26..12fa8382 100644
--- a/kernel/include/syscall.h
+++ b/kernel/include/syscall.h
@@ -149,6 +149,10 @@ struct program_image_section {
 #define MCK_RLIMIT_SIGPENDING	14
 #define MCK_RLIMIT_STACK	15
 
+#define PLD_CPU_SET_MAX_CPUS 1024
+typedef unsigned long __cpu_set_unit;
+#define PLD_CPU_SET_SIZE (PLD_CPU_SET_MAX_CPUS / (8 * sizeof(__cpu_set_unit)))
+
 struct program_load_desc {
 	int num_sections;
 	int status;
@@ -178,6 +182,7 @@ struct program_load_desc {
 	struct rlimit rlimit[MCK_RLIM_MAX];
 	unsigned long interp_align;
 	char shell_path[SHELL_PATH_MAX_LEN];
+	__cpu_set_unit cpu_set[PLD_CPU_SET_SIZE];
 	struct program_image_section sections[0];
 };
 
diff --git a/kernel/process.c b/kernel/process.c
index 6604ad1a..fcf7a0fd 100644
--- a/kernel/process.c
+++ b/kernel/process.c
@@ -233,13 +233,15 @@ init_process_vm(struct process *owner, struct address_space *asp, struct process
 	return 0;
 }
 
-struct thread *
-create_thread(unsigned long user_pc)
+struct thread *create_thread(unsigned long user_pc,
+		unsigned long *__cpu_set, size_t cpu_set_size)
 {
 	struct thread *thread;
 	struct process *proc;
 	struct process_vm *vm = NULL;
 	struct address_space *asp = NULL;
+	int cpu;
+	int cpu_set_empty = 1;
 
 	thread = ihk_mc_alloc_pages(KERNEL_STACK_NR_PAGES, IHK_MC_AP_NOWAIT);
 	if (!thread)
@@ -255,7 +257,20 @@ create_thread(unsigned long user_pc)
 	memset(vm, 0, sizeof(struct process_vm));
 	init_process(proc, cpu_local_var(resource_set)->pid1);
 
-	if (1) {
+	/* Use requested CPU cores */
+	for_each_set_bit(cpu, __cpu_set, cpu_set_size * BITS_PER_BYTE) {
+		if (cpu >= num_processors) {
+			kprintf("%s: invalid CPU requested in initial cpu_set\n",
+				__FUNCTION__);
+			goto err;
+		}
+
+		CPU_SET(cpu, &thread->cpu_set);
+		cpu_set_empty = 0;
+	}
+
+	/* Default allows all cores */
+	if (cpu_set_empty) {
 		struct ihk_mc_cpu_info *infop;
 		int i;