--- a/make/autoconf/flags.m4	   :: 
+++ b/make/autoconf/flags.m4	   :: 
@@ -267,12 +267,13 @@
 
   # For xlc, the word size flag is required for correct behavior.
   # For clang/gcc, the flag is only strictly required for reduced builds, but
-  # set it always where possible (x86 and ppc).
+  # set it always where possible (x86, sparc and ppc).
   if test "x$TOOLCHAIN_TYPE" = xxlc; then
     MACHINE_FLAG="-q${OPENJDK_TARGET_CPU_BITS}"
   elif test "x$TOOLCHAIN_TYPE" = xgcc || test "x$TOOLCHAIN_TYPE" = xclang; then
     if test "x$OPENJDK_TARGET_CPU_ARCH" = xx86 &&
         test "x$OPENJDK_TARGET_CPU" != xx32 ||
+        test "x$OPENJDK_TARGET_CPU_ARCH" = xsparc ||
         test "x$OPENJDK_TARGET_CPU_ARCH" = xppc; then
       MACHINE_FLAG="-m${OPENJDK_TARGET_CPU_BITS}"
     fi