Multiple lock assemblies are distributed on a chip, each lock assembly manage a lock application message for applying for a lock and a lock release message for releasing a lock that are sent by one small core. Specifically, embodiments include receiving a lock message sent by a small core, where the lock message carries a memory address corresponding to a lock requested by a first thread in the small core; calculating, using the memory address of the requested lock, a code number of a lock assembly to which the requested lock belongs; and sending the lock message to the lock assembly corresponding to the code number, to request the lock assembly to process the lock message.