diff --git a/tools/lib/api/Build b/tools/lib/api/Build
index 3653965cf4818..e8b8a23b9bf4c 100644
--- a/tools/lib/api/Build
+++ b/tools/lib/api/Build
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
 libapi-y += fd/
 libapi-y += fs/
+libapi-y += cpu.o
diff --git a/tools/lib/api/cpu.c b/tools/lib/api/cpu.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..8c6489356e3ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/lib/api/cpu.c
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+#include <stdio.h>
+
+#include "cpu.h"
+#include "fs/fs.h"
+
+int cpu__get_max_freq(unsigned long long *freq)
+{
+	char entry[PATH_MAX];
+	int cpu;
+
+	if (sysfs__read_int("devices/system/cpu/online", &cpu) < 0)
+		return -1;
+
+	snprintf(entry, sizeof(entry),
+		 "devices/system/cpu/cpu%d/cpufreq/cpuinfo_max_freq", cpu);
+
+	return sysfs__read_ull(entry, freq);
+}
diff --git a/tools/lib/api/cpu.h b/tools/lib/api/cpu.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..81e9d3955961e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/lib/api/cpu.h
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+#ifndef __API_CPU__
+#define __API_CPU__
+
+int cpu__get_max_freq(unsigned long long *freq);
+
+#endif /* __API_CPU__ */