diff --git a/lib/cros_vm_lib.sh b/lib/cros_vm_lib.sh
index 269b082863..ccf0abb7e3 100644
--- a/lib/cros_vm_lib.sh
+++ b/lib/cros_vm_lib.sh
@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@ function start_kvm() {
     fi
 
     sudo kvm -m 1024 \
+      -smp 4 \
       -vga std \
       -pidfile "${KVM_PID_FILE}" \
       -daemonize \