diff --git a/arch/alpha/Kconfig b/arch/alpha/Kconfig
index 8a33ba01301f..60469820a6c5 100644
--- a/arch/alpha/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/alpha/Kconfig
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ config ALPHA
 	select ARCH_WANT_IPC_PARSE_VERSION
 	select ARCH_HAVE_NMI_SAFE_CMPXCHG
 	select GENERIC_SMP_IDLE_THREAD
+	select GENERIC_IDLE_LOOP
 	select GENERIC_CMOS_UPDATE
 	select GENERIC_STRNCPY_FROM_USER
 	select GENERIC_STRNLEN_USER
diff --git a/arch/alpha/kernel/process.c b/arch/alpha/kernel/process.c
index 63d27fb9b023..a3fd8a29ccac 100644
--- a/arch/alpha/kernel/process.c
+++ b/arch/alpha/kernel/process.c
@@ -46,25 +46,6 @@
 void (*pm_power_off)(void) = machine_power_off;
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(pm_power_off);
 
-void
-cpu_idle(void)
-{
-	current_thread_info()->status |= TS_POLLING;
-
-	while (1) {
-		/* FIXME -- EV6 and LCA45 know how to power down
-		   the CPU.  */
-
-		rcu_idle_enter();
-		while (!need_resched())
-			cpu_relax();
-
-		rcu_idle_exit();
-		schedule_preempt_disabled();
-	}
-}
-
-
 struct halt_info {
 	int mode;
 	char *restart_cmd;
diff --git a/arch/alpha/kernel/smp.c b/arch/alpha/kernel/smp.c
index 9603bc234b47..7b60834fb4b2 100644
--- a/arch/alpha/kernel/smp.c
+++ b/arch/alpha/kernel/smp.c
@@ -167,8 +167,7 @@ smp_callin(void)
 	      cpuid, current, current->active_mm));
 
 	preempt_disable();
-	/* Do nothing.  */
-	cpu_idle();
+	cpu_startup_entry(CPUHP_ONLINE);
 }
 
 /* Wait until hwrpb->txrdy is clear for cpu.  Return -1 on timeout.  */