diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-kvm.c b/tools/perf/builtin-kvm.c
index c747a1af49fefa589a51312adec0b4aec27b6e9f..721f4f91291a4102dbfc33fbdd75b1063aa75340 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-kvm.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-kvm.c
@@ -1441,7 +1441,8 @@ static int kvm_events_live(struct perf_kvm_stat *kvm,
 	perf_session__set_id_hdr_size(kvm->session);
 	ordered_events__set_copy_on_queue(&kvm->session->ordered_events, true);
 	machine__synthesize_threads(&kvm->session->machines.host, &kvm->opts.target,
-				    kvm->evlist->threads, false, kvm->opts.proc_map_timeout);
+				    kvm->evlist->threads, false,
+				    kvm->opts.proc_map_timeout, 1);
 	err = kvm_live_open_events(kvm);
 	if (err)
 		goto out;
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
index 9b379f3a3d99e03c182b0cc2a18eaf4dc5199424..234fdf4734f6988e3df116f0ee82ab29a2cdf80c 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
@@ -863,7 +863,7 @@ static int record__synthesize(struct record *rec, bool tail)
 
 	err = __machine__synthesize_threads(machine, tool, &opts->target, rec->evlist->threads,
 					    process_synthesized_event, opts->sample_address,
-					    opts->proc_map_timeout);
+					    opts->proc_map_timeout, 1);
 out:
 	return err;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
index ee954bde7e3e800d308a41af7d70acc333802b67..bc31b93cc1d8ffbf1e8d80cc31c2cda981a013f8 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
@@ -958,8 +958,14 @@ static int __cmd_top(struct perf_top *top)
 	if (perf_session__register_idle_thread(top->session) < 0)
 		goto out_delete;
 
+	perf_set_multithreaded();
+
 	machine__synthesize_threads(&top->session->machines.host, &opts->target,
-				    top->evlist->threads, false, opts->proc_map_timeout);
+				    top->evlist->threads, false,
+				    opts->proc_map_timeout,
+				    (unsigned int)sysconf(_SC_NPROCESSORS_ONLN));
+
+	perf_set_singlethreaded();
 
 	if (perf_hpp_list.socket) {
 		ret = perf_env__read_cpu_topology_map(&perf_env);
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c b/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
index 967bd351b58dbc3b0b25c3b8360ec45b3758abd4..afef6fe46c45c72e6678d32fac78406565b30c41 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
@@ -1131,7 +1131,7 @@ static int trace__symbols_init(struct trace *trace, struct perf_evlist *evlist)
 
 	err = __machine__synthesize_threads(trace->host, &trace->tool, &trace->opts.target,
 					    evlist->threads, trace__tool_process, false,
-					    trace->opts.proc_map_timeout);
+					    trace->opts.proc_map_timeout, 1);
 	if (err)
 		symbol__exit();
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/mmap-thread-lookup.c b/tools/perf/tests/mmap-thread-lookup.c
index f94a4196e7c9d9a38a97d4ca60c641f2074f4e1e..2a0068afe3bfabe1dc142764f26765cb60c0193c 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/mmap-thread-lookup.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/mmap-thread-lookup.c
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ static int synth_all(struct machine *machine)
 {
 	return perf_event__synthesize_threads(NULL,
 					      perf_event__process,
-					      machine, 0, 500);
+					      machine, 0, 500, 1);
 }
 
 static int synth_process(struct machine *machine)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/event.c b/tools/perf/util/event.c
index 10366b87d0b5479adda7449abae05504f78bd5f3..0e678dd6bdbec36bcc2c6aba059c75c346e8b542 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/event.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/event.c
@@ -678,23 +678,21 @@ int perf_event__synthesize_thread_map(struct perf_tool *tool,
 	return err;
 }
 
-int perf_event__synthesize_threads(struct perf_tool *tool,
-				   perf_event__handler_t process,
-				   struct machine *machine,
-				   bool mmap_data,
-				   unsigned int proc_map_timeout)
+static int __perf_event__synthesize_threads(struct perf_tool *tool,
+					    perf_event__handler_t process,
+					    struct machine *machine,
+					    bool mmap_data,
+					    unsigned int proc_map_timeout,
+					    struct dirent **dirent,
+					    int start,
+					    int num)
 {
 	union perf_event *comm_event, *mmap_event, *fork_event;
 	union perf_event *namespaces_event;
-	char proc_path[PATH_MAX];
-	struct dirent **dirent;
 	int err = -1;
 	char *end;
 	pid_t pid;
-	int n, i;
-
-	if (machine__is_default_guest(machine))
-		return 0;
+	int i;
 
 	comm_event = malloc(sizeof(comm_event->comm) + machine->id_hdr_size);
 	if (comm_event == NULL)
@@ -714,34 +712,25 @@ int perf_event__synthesize_threads(struct perf_tool *tool,
 	if (namespaces_event == NULL)
 		goto out_free_fork;
 
-	snprintf(proc_path, sizeof(proc_path), "%s/proc", machine->root_dir);
-	n = scandir(proc_path, &dirent, 0, alphasort);
-
-	if (n < 0)
-		goto out_free_namespaces;
-
-	for (i = 0; i < n; i++) {
+	for (i = start; i < start + num; i++) {
 		if (!isdigit(dirent[i]->d_name[0]))
 			continue;
 
 		pid = (pid_t)strtol(dirent[i]->d_name, &end, 10);
 		/* only interested in proper numerical dirents */
-		if (!*end) {
-			/*
-			 * We may race with exiting thread, so don't stop just because
-			 * one thread couldn't be synthesized.
-			 */
-			__event__synthesize_thread(comm_event, mmap_event, fork_event,
-						   namespaces_event, pid, 1, process,
-						   tool, machine, mmap_data,
-						   proc_map_timeout);
-		}
-		free(dirent[i]);
+		if (*end)
+			continue;
+		/*
+		 * We may race with exiting thread, so don't stop just because
+		 * one thread couldn't be synthesized.
+		 */
+		__event__synthesize_thread(comm_event, mmap_event, fork_event,
+					   namespaces_event, pid, 1, process,
+					   tool, machine, mmap_data,
+					   proc_map_timeout);
 	}
-	free(dirent);
 	err = 0;
 
-out_free_namespaces:
 	free(namespaces_event);
 out_free_fork:
 	free(fork_event);
@@ -753,6 +742,115 @@ int perf_event__synthesize_threads(struct perf_tool *tool,
 	return err;
 }
 
+struct synthesize_threads_arg {
+	struct perf_tool *tool;
+	perf_event__handler_t process;
+	struct machine *machine;
+	bool mmap_data;
+	unsigned int proc_map_timeout;
+	struct dirent **dirent;
+	int num;
+	int start;
+};
+
+static void *synthesize_threads_worker(void *arg)
+{
+	struct synthesize_threads_arg *args = arg;
+
+	__perf_event__synthesize_threads(args->tool, args->process,
+					 args->machine, args->mmap_data,
+					 args->proc_map_timeout, args->dirent,
+					 args->start, args->num);
+	return NULL;
+}
+
+int perf_event__synthesize_threads(struct perf_tool *tool,
+				   perf_event__handler_t process,
+				   struct machine *machine,
+				   bool mmap_data,
+				   unsigned int proc_map_timeout,
+				   unsigned int nr_threads_synthesize)
+{
+	struct synthesize_threads_arg *args = NULL;
+	pthread_t *synthesize_threads = NULL;
+	char proc_path[PATH_MAX];
+	struct dirent **dirent;
+	int num_per_thread;
+	int m, n, i, j;
+	int thread_nr;
+	int base = 0;
+	int err = -1;
+
+
+	if (machine__is_default_guest(machine))
+		return 0;
+
+	snprintf(proc_path, sizeof(proc_path), "%s/proc", machine->root_dir);
+	n = scandir(proc_path, &dirent, 0, alphasort);
+	if (n < 0)
+		return err;
+
+	thread_nr = nr_threads_synthesize;
+
+	if (thread_nr <= 1) {
+		err = __perf_event__synthesize_threads(tool, process,
+						       machine, mmap_data,
+						       proc_map_timeout,
+						       dirent, base, n);
+		goto free_dirent;
+	}
+	if (thread_nr > n)
+		thread_nr = n;
+
+	synthesize_threads = calloc(sizeof(pthread_t), thread_nr);
+	if (synthesize_threads == NULL)
+		goto free_dirent;
+
+	args = calloc(sizeof(*args), thread_nr);
+	if (args == NULL)
+		goto free_threads;
+
+	num_per_thread = n / thread_nr;
+	m = n % thread_nr;
+	for (i = 0; i < thread_nr; i++) {
+		args[i].tool = tool;
+		args[i].process = process;
+		args[i].machine = machine;
+		args[i].mmap_data = mmap_data;
+		args[i].proc_map_timeout = proc_map_timeout;
+		args[i].dirent = dirent;
+	}
+	for (i = 0; i < m; i++) {
+		args[i].num = num_per_thread + 1;
+		args[i].start = i * args[i].num;
+	}
+	if (i != 0)
+		base = args[i-1].start + args[i-1].num;
+	for (j = i; j < thread_nr; j++) {
+		args[j].num = num_per_thread;
+		args[j].start = base + (j - i) * args[i].num;
+	}
+
+	for (i = 0; i < thread_nr; i++) {
+		if (pthread_create(&synthesize_threads[i], NULL,
+				   synthesize_threads_worker, &args[i]))
+			goto out_join;
+	}
+	err = 0;
+out_join:
+	for (i = 0; i < thread_nr; i++)
+		pthread_join(synthesize_threads[i], NULL);
+	free(args);
+free_threads:
+	free(synthesize_threads);
+free_dirent:
+	for (i = 0; i < n; i++)
+		free(dirent[i]);
+	free(dirent);
+
+	return err;
+}
+
 struct process_symbol_args {
 	const char *name;
 	u64	   start;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/event.h b/tools/perf/util/event.h
index ee7bcc898d3531356bedfb637c23266ab6f07ea5..d6cbb0a0d919c7841711ab8eb28d8770d9941343 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/event.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/event.h
@@ -680,7 +680,8 @@ int perf_event__synthesize_cpu_map(struct perf_tool *tool,
 int perf_event__synthesize_threads(struct perf_tool *tool,
 				   perf_event__handler_t process,
 				   struct machine *machine, bool mmap_data,
-				   unsigned int proc_map_timeout);
+				   unsigned int proc_map_timeout,
+				   unsigned int nr_threads_synthesize);
 int perf_event__synthesize_kernel_mmap(struct perf_tool *tool,
 				       perf_event__handler_t process,
 				       struct machine *machine);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/machine.c b/tools/perf/util/machine.c
index 585b4a3d64a446421a6e3900cc715d8c08560368..7c3aa479201afa22a4b3db28250a064decb926f7 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/machine.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/machine.c
@@ -2218,12 +2218,16 @@ int machines__for_each_thread(struct machines *machines,
 int __machine__synthesize_threads(struct machine *machine, struct perf_tool *tool,
 				  struct target *target, struct thread_map *threads,
 				  perf_event__handler_t process, bool data_mmap,
-				  unsigned int proc_map_timeout)
+				  unsigned int proc_map_timeout,
+				  unsigned int nr_threads_synthesize)
 {
 	if (target__has_task(target))
 		return perf_event__synthesize_thread_map(tool, threads, process, machine, data_mmap, proc_map_timeout);
 	else if (target__has_cpu(target))
-		return perf_event__synthesize_threads(tool, process, machine, data_mmap, proc_map_timeout);
+		return perf_event__synthesize_threads(tool, process,
+						      machine, data_mmap,
+						      proc_map_timeout,
+						      nr_threads_synthesize);
 	/* command specified */
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/machine.h b/tools/perf/util/machine.h
index b1cd516f202595926ec62e4a7582ec15ee5c8e67..c6a299ea506c9a97c8eee0b130801a4b4a8ca1bb 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/machine.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/machine.h
@@ -257,15 +257,18 @@ int machines__for_each_thread(struct machines *machines,
 int __machine__synthesize_threads(struct machine *machine, struct perf_tool *tool,
 				  struct target *target, struct thread_map *threads,
 				  perf_event__handler_t process, bool data_mmap,
-				  unsigned int proc_map_timeout);
+				  unsigned int proc_map_timeout,
+				  unsigned int nr_threads_synthesize);
 static inline
 int machine__synthesize_threads(struct machine *machine, struct target *target,
 				struct thread_map *threads, bool data_mmap,
-				unsigned int proc_map_timeout)
+				unsigned int proc_map_timeout,
+				unsigned int nr_threads_synthesize)
 {
 	return __machine__synthesize_threads(machine, NULL, target, threads,
 					     perf_event__process, data_mmap,
-					     proc_map_timeout);
+					     proc_map_timeout,
+					     nr_threads_synthesize);
 }
 
 pid_t machine__get_current_tid(struct machine *machine, int cpu);