diff --git a/cmake/bitcode_rules.cmake b/cmake/bitcode_rules.cmake
index dd6853b..708ba24 100644
--- a/cmake/bitcode_rules.cmake
+++ b/cmake/bitcode_rules.cmake
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ function(compile_cc_to_bc FILENAME SUBDIR BC_FILE_LIST)
         DEPENDS "${FULL_F_PATH}"
           ${KERNEL_DEPEND_HEADERS}
         COMMAND  "${CLANGXX}" ${CLANG_FLAGS} ${KERNEL_CLANGXX_FLAGS}
-        ${DEVICE_CL_FLAGS} "-o" "${BC_FILE}" "-c" "${FULL_F_PATH}"
+        ${DEVICE_CL_FLAGS} "-std=c++11" "-o" "${BC_FILE}" "-c" "${FULL_F_PATH}"
         COMMENT "Building C++ to LLVM bitcode ${BC_FILE}" 
         VERBATIM)
 endfunction()
diff --git a/lib/kernel/rules.mk b/lib/kernel/rules.mk
index 27bc9d4..aa9912c 100644
--- a/lib/kernel/rules.mk
+++ b/lib/kernel/rules.mk
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ _kernel.h.pch: @top_builddir@/include/${TARGET_DIR}/types.h @top_srcdir@/include
 	@CLANG@ ${CLANG_FLAGS} ${CLFLAGS} ${DEVICE_CL_FLAGS} -D__CBUILD__ -c -o $@ -include ${abs_top_srcdir}/include/_kernel_c.h $<
 %.cc.bc: %.cc  ${LKERNEL_HDRS_EXTRA}
 	mkdir -p ${dir $@}
-	@CLANGXX@ ${CLANG_FLAGS} ${CLANGXX_FLAGS} ${DEVICE_CL_FLAGS} -c -o $@ $<
+	@CLANGXX@ -std=c++11 ${CLANG_FLAGS} ${CLANGXX_FLAGS} ${DEVICE_CL_FLAGS} -c -o $@ $<
 %.cl.bc: %.cl ${abs_top_srcdir}/include/_kernel.h ${abs_top_srcdir}/include/_kernel_c.h ${abs_top_srcdir}/include/pocl_types.h ${LKERNEL_HDRS_EXTRA}
 	mkdir -p ${dir $@}
 	@CLANG@ ${CLANG_FLAGS} -x cl ${CLFLAGS} ${DEVICE_CL_FLAGS} -fsigned-char -c -o $@ $< -include ${abs_top_srcdir}/include/_kernel.h