diff --git a/drivers/base/cpu.c b/drivers/base/cpu.c
index 8f1d6569564c..2b9e41377a07 100644
--- a/drivers/base/cpu.c
+++ b/drivers/base/cpu.c
@@ -409,13 +409,11 @@ __cpu_device_create(struct device *parent, void *drvdata,
 		    const char *fmt, va_list args)
 {
 	struct device *dev = NULL;
-	int retval = -ENODEV;
+	int retval = -ENOMEM;
 
 	dev = kzalloc(sizeof(*dev), GFP_KERNEL);
-	if (!dev) {
-		retval = -ENOMEM;
+	if (!dev)
 		goto error;
-	}
 
 	device_initialize(dev);
 	dev->parent = parent;