I have a 14 inch 2021 macbook pro, 32gb, running Sonoma 14.2.1.
After 20-30 days of uptime, kernel_task starts to use about 100-250% cpu. On my last reboot, kernel_task had used 100 hours of cpu time with less than 30 days of uptime, suggesting an average usage of 13.9% cpu average for the entire 30 day period.
Looking on the forums, I see others complaining about high kernel_task cpu usage related to thermals or external monitor usage. I do use an external monitor, however in my case I see no correlation between either temperature or monitor usage and the kernel_task cpu spike. Running the fan in full blast with Mac Fan Control does nothing, and neither does unplugging the external monitor. I also tried switching the usb-c cable to the right side as has been suggested, no success.
I've also seen many threads where apple simply responds to reboot and see if the problem persists. For me a reboot "fixes" the problem, but it always comes back 20-30 days later, so this is not a fix. I'm fairly certain this is a kernel bug that apple needs to fix instead of just telling people to reboot more often...
