diff --git a/cloud-hypervisor/tests/integration.rs b/cloud-hypervisor/tests/integration.rs
index f8915ec4a..d0a7b49c8 100644
--- a/cloud-hypervisor/tests/integration.rs
+++ b/cloud-hypervisor/tests/integration.rs
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ mod common_parallel {
     }
 
     #[test]
+    #[cfg_attr(target_arch = "x86_64", should_panic)]
     fn test_cpu_topology_421() {
         test_cpu_topology(4, 2, 1, false);
     }
diff --git a/vmm/src/config.rs b/vmm/src/config.rs
index 7efda7c05..3faa7ff75 100644
--- a/vmm/src/config.rs
+++ b/vmm/src/config.rs
@@ -250,6 +250,9 @@ pub enum ValidationError {
     /// CPU topology count doesn't match max
     #[error("Product of CPU topology parts does not match maximum vCPU")]
     CpuTopologyCount,
+    /// CPU topology uses too many threads per core
+    #[error("CPU topology supports at most 2 threads per core")]
+    CpuTopologyThreadsPerCore,
     /// One part of the CPU topology was zero
     #[error("No part of the CPU topology can be zero")]
     CpuTopologyZeroPart,
@@ -2982,6 +2985,11 @@ impl VmConfig {
                 return Err(ValidationError::CpuTopologyZeroPart);
             }
 
+            #[cfg(target_arch = "x86_64")]
+            if t.threads_per_core > 2 {
+                return Err(ValidationError::CpuTopologyThreadsPerCore);
+            }
+
             // The setting of dies doesn't apply on AArch64.
             // Only '1' value is accepted, so its impact on the vcpu topology
             // setting can be ignored.
@@ -5043,6 +5051,45 @@ id=\"{id}\",pci_segment={pci_segment},queue_sizes={queue_sizes}"
             Err(ValidationError::CpuTopologyCount)
         );
 
+        let mut still_valid_config = valid_config.clone();
+        still_valid_config.cpus.max_vcpus = 8;
+        still_valid_config.cpus.boot_vcpus = 8;
+        still_valid_config.cpus.topology = Some(CpuTopology {
+            threads_per_core: 1,
+            cores_per_die: 8,
+            dies_per_package: 1,
+            packages: 1,
+        });
+        still_valid_config.validate().unwrap();
+
+        let mut still_valid_config = valid_config.clone();
+        still_valid_config.cpus.max_vcpus = 8;
+        still_valid_config.cpus.boot_vcpus = 8;
+        still_valid_config.cpus.topology = Some(CpuTopology {
+            threads_per_core: 2,
+            cores_per_die: 4,
+            dies_per_package: 1,
+            packages: 1,
+        });
+        still_valid_config.validate().unwrap();
+
+        #[cfg(target_arch = "x86_64")]
+        {
+            let mut invalid_config = valid_config.clone();
+            invalid_config.cpus.max_vcpus = 6;
+            invalid_config.cpus.boot_vcpus = 6;
+            invalid_config.cpus.topology = Some(CpuTopology {
+                threads_per_core: 3,
+                cores_per_die: 2,
+                dies_per_package: 1,
+                packages: 1,
+            });
+            assert_eq!(
+                invalid_config.validate(),
+                Err(ValidationError::CpuTopologyThreadsPerCore)
+            );
+        }
+
         let mut invalid_config = valid_config.clone();
         invalid_config.disks = Some(vec![DiskConfig {
             vhost_socket: Some("/path/to/sock".to_owned()),