diff --git a/noir-projects/noir-contracts/bootstrap.sh b/noir-projects/noir-contracts/bootstrap.sh
index 3d8b2b0f646..95dd0f21abd 100755
--- a/noir-projects/noir-contracts/bootstrap.sh
+++ b/noir-projects/noir-contracts/bootstrap.sh
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ export TRANSPILER=${TRANSPILER:-../../avm-transpiler/target/release/avm-transpil
 export BB_HASH=$(cache_content_hash ../../barretenberg/cpp/.rebuild_patterns)
 
 export tmp_dir=./target/tmp
+export sem_id="nargo"
 
 # Create our tmp working directory, ensure it's removed on exit.
 function on_exit() {
@@ -72,7 +73,7 @@ function process_function() {
     if ! cache_download vk-$hash.tar.gz &> /dev/null; then
       # It's not in the cache. Generate the vk file and upload it to the cache.
       echo_stderr "Generating vk for function: $name..."
-      echo "$bytecode_b64" | base64 -d | gunzip | $BB write_vk_for_ivc -b - -o $tmp_dir/$hash 2>/dev/null
+      echo "$bytecode_b64" | base64 -d | gunzip | sem --jobs $PARALLELISM --fg --id $sem_id $BB write_vk_for_ivc -b - -o $tmp_dir/$hash 2>/dev/null
       cache_upload vk-$hash.tar.gz $tmp_dir/$hash &> /dev/null
     fi
 
@@ -105,7 +106,7 @@ function compile {
     "^noir-projects/aztec-nr/" \
   )"
   if ! cache_download contract-$contract_hash.tar.gz &> /dev/null; then
-    $NARGO compile --package $contract --silence-warnings --inliner-aggressiveness 0
+    sem --jobs $PARALLELISM --fg --id $sem_id $NARGO compile --package $contract --silence-warnings --inliner-aggressiveness 0
     $TRANSPILER $json_path $json_path
     cache_upload contract-$contract_hash.tar.gz $json_path &> /dev/null
   fi
@@ -117,7 +118,7 @@ function compile {
   # .[1] is the updated functions on stdin (-)
   # * merges their fields.
   jq -c '.functions[]' $json_path | \
-    parallel -j$PARALLELISM --keep-order -N1 --block 8M --pipe --halt now,fail=1 process_function | \
+    parallel -j4 --keep-order -N1 --block 8M --pipe --halt now,fail=1 process_function | \
     jq -s '{functions: .}' | jq -s '.[0] * {functions: .[1].functions}' $json_path - > $tmp_dir/$filename
   mv $tmp_dir/$filename $json_path
 }
@@ -132,7 +133,7 @@ function build {
     set +e
     echo_stderr "Compiling contracts (bb-hash: $BB_HASH)..."
     grep -oP '(?<=contracts/)[^"]+' Nargo.toml | \
-      parallel -j$PARALLELISM --joblog joblog.txt -v --line-buffer --tag --halt now,fail=1 compile {}
+      parallel -j16 --joblog joblog.txt -v --line-buffer --tag --halt now,fail=1 compile {}
     code=$?
     cat joblog.txt
     return $code
diff --git a/noir-projects/noir-protocol-circuits/bootstrap.sh b/noir-projects/noir-protocol-circuits/bootstrap.sh
index b2ba4044009..29ba8e98330 100755
--- a/noir-projects/noir-protocol-circuits/bootstrap.sh
+++ b/noir-projects/noir-protocol-circuits/bootstrap.sh
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ export NARGO_HASH=$(cache_content_hash ../../noir/.rebuild_patterns)
 
 tmp_dir=./target/tmp
 key_dir=./target/keys
+sem_id="nargo"
 
 # Circuits matching these patterns we have clientivc keys computed, rather than ultrahonk.
 ivc_patterns=(
@@ -49,7 +50,7 @@ mkdir -p $tmp_dir
 mkdir -p $key_dir
 
 # Export vars needed inside compile.
-export tmp_dir key_dir ci3 ivc_regex rollup_honk_regex
+export tmp_dir key_dir ci3 ivc_regex rollup_honk_regex sem_id
 
 function compile {
   set -euo pipefail
@@ -61,20 +62,20 @@ function compile {
   local program_hash_cmd="$NARGO check --package $name --silence-warnings --show-program-hash | cut -d' ' -f2"
   # echo_stderr $program_hash_cmd
   program_hash=$(dump_fail "$program_hash_cmd")
-  echo_stderr "Hash preimage: $NARGO_HASH-$program_hash"
+  # echo_stderr "Hash preimage: $NARGO_HASH-$program_hash"
   hash=$(hash_str "$NARGO_HASH-$program_hash")
   if ! cache_download circuit-$hash.tar.gz 1>&2; then
-    SECONDS=0
     rm -f $json_path
     # TODO: --skip-brillig-constraints-check added temporarily for blobs build time.
     local compile_cmd="$NARGO compile --package $name --silence-warnings --skip-brillig-constraints-check"
-    echo_stderr "$compile_cmd"
-    dump_fail "$compile_cmd"
-    echo_stderr "Compilation complete for: $name (${SECONDS}s)"
+    # echo_stderr "$compile_cmd"
+    echo_stderr "Compiling: $name..."
+    sem --jobs $PARALLELISM --fg --id $sem_id dump_fail "$compile_cmd"
+    echo_stderr "Compilation complete for: $name"
     cache_upload circuit-$hash.tar.gz $json_path &> /dev/null
   fi
 
-  echo "$name"
+  # echo "$name"
   if echo "$name" | grep -qE "${ivc_regex}"; then
     local proto="client_ivc"
     local write_vk_cmd="write_vk_for_ivc"
@@ -88,7 +89,7 @@ function compile {
     local write_vk_cmd="write_vk_ultra_honk -h 1"
     local vk_as_fields_cmd="vk_as_fields_ultra_honk"
   fi
-  echo "$proto$"
+  # echo "$proto$"
 
   # No vks needed for simulated circuits.
   [[ "$name" == *"simulated"* ]] && return
@@ -99,16 +100,16 @@ function compile {
   hash=$(hash_str "$BB_HASH-$bytecode_hash-$proto")
   if ! cache_download vk-$hash.tar.gz 1>&2; then
     local key_path="$key_dir/$name.vk.data.json"
-    echo_stderr "Generating vk for function: $name..."
-    SECONDS=0
+    echo_stderr "Generating vk for: $name..."
     local vk_cmd="jq -r '.bytecode' $json_path | base64 -d | gunzip | $BB $write_vk_cmd -b - -o - --recursive | xxd -p -c 0"
-    echo_stderr $vk_cmd
-    vk=$(dump_fail "$vk_cmd")
+    # echo_stderr $vk_cmd
+    vk=$(sem --jobs $PARALLELISM --fg --id $sem_id dump_fail "$vk_cmd")
     local vkf_cmd="echo '$vk' | xxd -r -p | $BB $vk_as_fields_cmd -k - -o -"
     # echo_stderrr $vkf_cmd
+    echo_stderr "Converting vk to fields for: $name..."
     vk_fields=$(dump_fail "$vkf_cmd")
     jq -n --arg vk "$vk" --argjson vkf "$vk_fields" '{keyAsBytes: $vk, keyAsFields: $vkf}' > $key_path
-    echo_stderr "Key output at: $key_path (${SECONDS}s)"
+    echo_stderr "Key output at: $key_path"
     cache_upload vk-$hash.tar.gz $key_path &> /dev/null
   fi
 }
@@ -126,7 +127,7 @@ function build {
           echo "$(basename $dir)"
       fi
     done | \
-    parallel -j$PARALLELISM --joblog joblog.txt -v --line-buffer --tag --halt now,fail=1 compile {}
+    parallel -j32 --joblog joblog.txt -v --line-buffer --tag --halt now,fail=1 compile {}
   code=$?
   cat joblog.txt
   return $code