diff --git a/opal/asm/base/POWERPC32.asm b/opal/asm/base/POWERPC32.asm
index e613b9ccf1..16c1b9bdf4 100644
--- a/opal/asm/base/POWERPC32.asm
+++ b/opal/asm/base/POWERPC32.asm
@@ -154,3 +154,17 @@ START_FUNC(opal_atomic_sub_32)
 	lwz r3,0(r3)
 	blr
 END_FUNC(opal_atomic_sub_32)
+
+START_FUNC(opal_sys_timer_get_cycles)
+	LSYM(15)
+	mftbu r0
+	mftb r11
+	mftbu r2
+	cmpw cr7,r2,r0
+	bne+ cr7,REFLSYM(14)
+	li r4,0
+	li r9,0
+	or r3,r2,r9
+	or r4,r4,r11
+	blr
+END_FUNC(opal_sys_timer_get_cycles)
diff --git a/opal/asm/base/POWERPC64.asm b/opal/asm/base/POWERPC64.asm
index c66c441c29..3168a69d62 100644
--- a/opal/asm/base/POWERPC64.asm
+++ b/opal/asm/base/POWERPC64.asm
@@ -142,3 +142,18 @@ START_FUNC(opal_atomic_sub_32)
 	extsw r3,r3
 	blr
 END_FUNC(opal_atomic_sub_32)
+
+START_FUNC(opal_sys_timer_get_cycles)
+	LSYM(7)
+        mftbu r2
+        rldicl r2,r2,0,32
+        mftb r0
+        rldicl r9,r0,0,32
+        mftbu r0
+        rldicl r0,r0,0,32
+        cmpw cr7,r0,r2
+        bne cr7,REFLSYM(7)
+        sldi r3,r0,32
+        or r3,r3,r9
+        blr
+END_FUNC(opal_sys_timer_get_cycles)
diff --git a/opal/include/sys/powerpc/timer.h b/opal/include/sys/powerpc/timer.h
index 1237546c5f..6bacdbb736 100644
--- a/opal/include/sys/powerpc/timer.h
+++ b/opal/include/sys/powerpc/timer.h
@@ -41,7 +41,9 @@ opal_sys_timer_get_cycles(void)
 
 #else
 
-#define OPAL_HAVE_SYS_TIMER_GET_CYCLES 0
+opal_timer_t opal_sys_timer_get_cycles(void);
+
+#define OPAL_HAVE_SYS_TIMER_GET_CYCLES 1
 
 #endif /* OMPI_GCC_INLINE_ASSEMBLY */
 
diff --git a/opal/include/sys/powerpc/update.sh b/opal/include/sys/powerpc/update.sh
index dd7733554c..5c4a0cff7d 100644
--- a/opal/include/sys/powerpc/update.sh
+++ b/opal/include/sys/powerpc/update.sh
@@ -15,11 +15,11 @@
 # $HEADER$
 #
 
-CFILE=/tmp/opal_atomic_$$.c
+CFILE=/tmp/opal_asm_$$.c
 
 trap "/bin/rm -f $CFILE; exit 0" 0 1 2 15
 
-echo Updating atomic.s from atomic.h using gcc
+echo Updating asm.s from atomic.h and timer.h using gcc
 
 cat > $CFILE<<EOF
 #include <stdlib.h>
@@ -30,8 +30,9 @@ cat > $CFILE<<EOF
 #define OMPI_WANT_SMP_LOCKS 1
 #include "../architecture.h"
 #include "atomic.h"
+#include "timer.h"
 EOF
 
-gcc -O1 -mpowerpc64 -mcpu=970 -DOMPI_ASSEMBLY_ARCH=POWERPC32 -DOMPI_ASM_SUPPORT_64BIT=1 -I. -S $CFILE -o atomic-32-64.s
-gcc -O1 -DOMPI_ASSEMBLY_ARCH=OMPI_POWERPC32 -DOMPI_ASM_SUPPORT_64BIT=0 -I. -S $CFILE -o atomic-32.s
-gcc -m64 -O1 -finline-functions -DOMPI_ASSEMBLY_ARCH=OMPI_POWERPC64 -DOMPI_ASM_SUPPORT64BIT=1 -I. -S $CFILE -o atomic-64.s
+gcc -O1 -mpowerpc64 -mcpu=970 -DOMPI_ASSEMBLY_ARCH=POWERPC32 -DOMPI_ASM_SUPPORT_64BIT=1 -I. -S $CFILE -o asm-32-64.s
+gcc -O1 -DOMPI_ASSEMBLY_ARCH=OMPI_POWERPC32 -DOMPI_ASM_SUPPORT_64BIT=0 -I. -S $CFILE -o asm-32.s
+gcc -m64 -O1 -finline-functions -DOMPI_ASSEMBLY_ARCH=OMPI_POWERPC64 -DOMPI_ASM_SUPPORT64BIT=1 -I. -S $CFILE -o asm-64.s