In one embodiment, a computer program product for optimizing core utilization in a neurosynaptic network includes a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, where the computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se, and where the program instructions are executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform a method including identifying, by the processor, one or more unused portions of a neurosynaptic network, and for each of the one or more unused portions of the neurosynaptic network, disconnecting, by the processor, the unused portion from the neurosynaptic network.