diff --git a/src/arch/host/include/arch/atomic.h b/src/arch/host/include/arch/atomic.h
index 40613c6a3..797ba5f5e 100644
--- a/src/arch/host/include/arch/atomic.h
+++ b/src/arch/host/include/arch/atomic.h
@@ -17,9 +17,44 @@ typedef struct {
 	volatile int32_t value;
 } atomic_t;
 
+#if defined __GNUC__ && !defined __XCC__
+
 static inline int32_t arch_atomic_read(const atomic_t *a)
 {
-	return (*(volatile int32_t *)&a->value);
+	return __atomic_load_n(&a->value, __ATOMIC_SEQ_CST);
+}
+
+static inline void arch_atomic_set(atomic_t *a, int32_t value)
+{
+	__atomic_store_n(&a->value, value, __ATOMIC_SEQ_CST);
+}
+
+static inline void arch_atomic_init(atomic_t *a, int32_t value)
+{
+	__atomic_store_n(&a->value, value, __ATOMIC_SEQ_CST);
+}
+
+static inline int32_t arch_atomic_add(atomic_t *a, int32_t value)
+{
+	return __atomic_add_fetch(&a->value, value, __ATOMIC_SEQ_CST);
+}
+
+static inline int32_t arch_atomic_sub(atomic_t *a, int32_t value)
+{
+	return __atomic_sub_fetch(&a->value, value, __ATOMIC_SEQ_CST);
+}
+
+#elif defined __XCC__
+
+/* fake locking: obviously this does nothing, and provides no real locking */
+#define lock() do {} while (0)
+#define unlock() do {} while (0)
+
+/* Fake atomic functions for xt-run static single-thread testbench */
+
+static inline int32_t arch_atomic_read(const atomic_t *a)
+{
+	return a->value;
 }
 
 static inline void arch_atomic_set(atomic_t *a, int32_t value)
@@ -32,17 +67,34 @@ static inline void arch_atomic_init(atomic_t *a, int32_t value)
 	arch_atomic_set(a, value);
 }
 
-/* use gcc atomic built-ins for host library */
 static inline int32_t arch_atomic_add(atomic_t *a, int32_t value)
 {
-	return __sync_fetch_and_add(&a->value, value);
+	int32_t tmp;
+
+	lock();
+	tmp = a->value;
+	a->value += value;
+	unlock();
+	return tmp;
 }
 
 static inline int32_t arch_atomic_sub(atomic_t *a, int32_t value)
 {
-	return __sync_fetch_and_sub(&a->value, value);
+	int32_t tmp;
+
+	lock();
+	tmp = a->value;
+	a->value -= value;
+	unlock();
+	return tmp;
 }
 
+#else
+
+#error "Not gcc, not xt-xcc"
+
+#endif
+
 #endif /* __ARCH_ATOMIC_H__ */
 
 #else