diff --git a/build/bakefiles/common.bkl b/build/bakefiles/common.bkl
index ac23bd5ecf..06b45c3bdb 100644
--- a/build/bakefiles/common.bkl
+++ b/build/bakefiles/common.bkl
@@ -161,6 +161,8 @@
 
     <set var="DIR_SUFFIX_CPU">
         <if cond="FORMAT=='msevc4prj'">_$(CPU)</if>
+        <if cond="TARGET_CPU=='AMD64'">_amd64</if>
+        <if cond="TARGET_CPU=='IA64'">_ia64</if>
     </set>
 
     <if cond="FORMAT!='autoconf'">
@@ -272,6 +274,15 @@
         <if cond="MSLU=='1'">unicows</if>
     </set>
 
+    <set var="LINK_TARGET_CPU">
+        <if cond="TARGET_CPU=='AMD64'">/MACHINE:AMD64</if>
+        <if cond="TARGET_CPU=='IA64'">/MACHINE:IA64</if>
+    </set>
+    <set var="RES_TARGET_CPU">
+        <if cond="TARGET_CPU=='AMD64'">WX_CPU_AMD64</if>
+        <if cond="TARGET_CPU=='IA64'">WX_CPU_IA64</if>
+    </set>
+
     <template id="common_settings">
         <debug-info>$(DEBUGINFO)</debug-info>
         <debug-runtime-libs>$(DEBUGRUNTIME)</debug-runtime-libs>
@@ -292,6 +303,10 @@
             <set var="_ldlibs">$(_ldlibs.replace('ccrtrtti.lib', ''))</set>
             <set var="_cppflags">$(_cppflags.replace('/GR', ''))</set>
         </if>
+        <if cond="FORMAT=='msvc'">
+            <ldflags>$(LINK_TARGET_CPU)</ldflags>
+            <res-define>$(RES_TARGET_CPU)</res-define>
+        </if>
     </template>
 
     <template id="anylib">
diff --git a/build/bakefiles/config.bkl b/build/bakefiles/config.bkl
index f20892eb15..c8e241faa9 100644
--- a/build/bakefiles/config.bkl
+++ b/build/bakefiles/config.bkl
@@ -54,6 +54,23 @@
         </description>
     </option>
 
+    <if cond="FORMAT=='msvc'">
+        <option name="TARGET_CPU">
+            <values>AMD64,IA64</values>
+            <default-value>$(DOLLAR)(CPU)</default-value>
+            <description>
+The target processor architecture must be specified when it is not X86.
+This does not affect the compiler output, so you still need to make sure
+your environment is set up appropriately with the correct compiler in the
+PATH. Rather it affects some options passed to some of the common build
+utilities such as the resource compiler and the linker.
+            </description>
+        </option>
+    </if>
+    <if cond="FORMAT!='msvc'">
+        <set var="TARGET_CPU"/>
+    </if>
+
     <!-- FIXME: restore this once bakefile is fixed to not use
                 /Gm /GZ (incompatible with /O2) w/ debug-info -->
     <set var="DEBUG_INFO_DEFAULT">