diff --git a/include/linux/compiler-gcc.h b/include/linux/compiler-gcc.h
index 2e05e1e6b0e6..6e1c44a935d4 100644
--- a/include/linux/compiler-gcc.h
+++ b/include/linux/compiler-gcc.h
@@ -11,9 +11,15 @@
 
 /* This macro obfuscates arithmetic on a variable address so that gcc
    shouldn't recognize the original var, and make assumptions about it */
+/*
+ * Versions of the ppc64 compiler before 4.1 had a bug where use of
+ * RELOC_HIDE could trash r30. The bug can be worked around by changing
+ * the inline assembly constraint from =g to =r, in this particular
+ * case either is valid.
+ */
 #define RELOC_HIDE(ptr, off)					\
   ({ unsigned long __ptr;					\
-    __asm__ ("" : "=g"(__ptr) : "0"(ptr));		\
+    __asm__ ("" : "=r"(__ptr) : "0"(ptr));		\
     (typeof(ptr)) (__ptr + (off)); })