Kernel_task frequently spikes CPU load while using Safari

MacBook Pro

13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports

Processor 3.1 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5

Graphics Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650 1536 MB

Memory 8 GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3

Startup disk Macintosh HD

macOS Ventura 13.6.9

I don't use my MacBook for much other than doing my work--no gaming or video editing--The main apps I use for work are Pages, Numbers, Safari, Discord, Messages, Finder, and occassionally I'll listen to music on Spotify (desktop app). Sometime ago I started having issues with kernel_task stealling all my CPU cylces. When it does the computer basically becomes inoperable. Mouse and keyboard input drag to a crawl and eventually grind to a halt. Webpages refuse to load. Pretty much anything that requires even a very modest amount of CPU power slow or stops functioning unless I restarted the computer.

That started 3 years ago. It was actually around the time Apple transitioned away from Intel, so 2021, and i have an armchair theory about that, but I'll save that for a minute.

As time went on I just dealt with the problem by restarting the MacBook and goign about my business. I tried to pay attention to when it usually happened but didn't, and stil don't frankly, have time to track down a cause. However, in the three years that followed, I'm 99.9% certain that it is related to Safari. The only time kenel_task kicks in is when I have Safari open. If I quit Safari (sometimes have to force quit if KT has been going for too long and can't even get enough cycles for apps to close on their own) kenel_task immediately starts dropping to normal levels. It usually takes about 30-45 seconds for CPU usage to return to normal.

As far as the what and why of KT ramping up with Safari, I can't say. It usually takes a while of usage before KT starts being a problem. The more tabs i have going the faster it reaches a problem point, but it seems more dependant on how lonf Safari has been running as opposed to tabs. That is to say, while I'm working with 7-8 tabs open, I'll have to shutdown Safari after about an hour or more. But if I have only one tab open and leave the computer in sleep mode over night, kernel-task is running full bore when I wake it up. Again, quitting Safari resolves the problem.

Now my armchair theory--and this is just based on the timing--is that after Apple switched silicon, it began optimizing macOS for the M-series because, hey, screw Intel machines. As time has gone on engineers stopped caring how macOS ran on Intel chips pretty much altogether so to heck with it. Not say this was intentional, just that hey you got brand new silicon that you want to A) work efficiently with your software for the sake of the customer, but B) doesn't that just look good from a marketing standpoint? We can brag about how much better our chips run over Intel AND legacy users heve even more of a reason to upgrade to the M-series because everything runns better on it. Just a lame-brain guess, so take it for what it's worth.

As to the reason for my post, I'm not really looking for answers to the problem. I mean I know what is causing the problem and I know how to work around it. It does cause some grief when doing certain work, but I'm well overdue from a new MacBook and will probably get one soon. That said, if anybody has a fix, I'm open. The main reason I posted this information was because in the early days of the problem I found little help here or anywhere else. Nobody had any solid answers, just wild guesses. I get it.Unless you are sitting right infront of the system this type of stuff is hard to nail down. But in more recent searches I have just found more of the same. Specically searching for a link between kernel_task and Safari reveals just more well-intentioned but unhelpful advice.

Now I can't offer any better to anyone else and I'm sure that everyone's situation is unique. But I hope that by posting this othewrs can see it and go, "Hey, I didn't think to look at and play with that idea to see if that's the problem." At the very least, it should provide a temporary workaround for others that have the same issue as me. As far as Apple fixing this, I say, don't hold your breath. Apple has fully moved on from Intel Macs so if your Intell machine doesn't play nice with the M-series optimizations, too bad for you--buy a new Mac.

If you think I'm totally off my ***. Feel free to tell me so. It's no skin off my nose, but I'd prefer some positive ideas and possible solutions.