diff --git a/cmake/toolchain/arm-none-eabi-gcc.cmake b/cmake/toolchain/arm-none-eabi-gcc.cmake
index ea95eef..2c0ebd0 100644
--- a/cmake/toolchain/arm-none-eabi-gcc.cmake
+++ b/cmake/toolchain/arm-none-eabi-gcc.cmake
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #
-# Copyright (c) 2020 Arm Limited. All rights reserved.
+# Copyright (c) 2020-2021 Arm Limited. All rights reserved.
 #
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 #
@@ -47,6 +47,10 @@
     -mthumb
     "$<$<COMPILE_LANGUAGE:CXX>:-fno-unwind-tables;-fno-rtti;-fno-exceptions>")
 
+# Compile defines
+add_compile_definitions(
+    "$<$<NOT:$<CONFIG:DEBUG>>:NDEBUG>")
+
 # Link options
 add_link_options(
     -mcpu=${TARGET_CPU}
diff --git a/cmake/toolchain/armclang.cmake b/cmake/toolchain/armclang.cmake
index 72eb456..bb29286 100644
--- a/cmake/toolchain/armclang.cmake
+++ b/cmake/toolchain/armclang.cmake
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #
-# Copyright (c) 2020 Arm Limited. All rights reserved.
+# Copyright (c) 2020-2021 Arm Limited. All rights reserved.
 #
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 #
@@ -58,6 +58,10 @@
     "$<$<CONFIG:DEBUG>:-gdwarf-3>"
     "$<$<COMPILE_LANGUAGE:CXX>:-fno-unwind-tables;-fno-rtti;-fno-exceptions>")
 
+# Compile defines
+add_compile_definitions(
+    "$<$<NOT:$<CONFIG:DEBUG>>:NDEBUG>")
+
 # Link options
 add_link_options(
     --cpu=${__LINK_TARGET}
diff --git a/targets/corstone-300/CMakeLists.txt b/targets/corstone-300/CMakeLists.txt
index 4e766df..85fe944 100644
--- a/targets/corstone-300/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/targets/corstone-300/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
 
 set(ETHOSU_COMMAND_DEFAULT python3 ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/../../scripts/run_ctest.py -t corstone-300)
 
-option(CPU_CACHE_ENABLE "Enable CPU instruction- and data cache" ON)
+option(CPU_CACHE_ENABLE "Enable CPU instruction- and data cache" OFF)
 
 #############################################################################
 # Project