diff --git a/charts/templates/central-deploy.yaml b/charts/templates/central-deploy.yaml
index f8c4e6cccaf..c7e025c2fb3 100644
--- a/charts/templates/central-deploy.yaml
+++ b/charts/templates/central-deploy.yaml
@@ -76,6 +76,8 @@ spec:
               value: "{{ .Values.networking.PROBE_INTERVAL }}"
             - name: OVN_LEADER_PROBE_INTERVAL
               value: "{{ .Values.networking.OVN_LEADER_PROBE_INTERVAL }}"
+            - name: OVN_NORTHD_N_THREADS
+              value: "{{ .Values.networking.OVN_NORTHD_N_THREADS }}"
           resources:
             requests:
               cpu: {{ index .Values "ovn-central" "requests" "cpu" }}
diff --git a/charts/values.yaml b/charts/values.yaml
index 3b51c4206bb..87a469b62b5 100644
--- a/charts/values.yaml
+++ b/charts/values.yaml
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ networking:
   OVN_LEADER_PROBE_INTERVAL: 5
   OVN_REMOTE_PROBE_INTERVAL: 10000
   OVN_REMOTE_OPENFLOW_INTERVAL: 180
+  OVN_NORTHD_N_THREADS: 1
 
 func:
   ENABLE_LB: true
diff --git a/dist/images/install.sh b/dist/images/install.sh
index 8d51b6382d5..891a82f94e9 100755
--- a/dist/images/install.sh
+++ b/dist/images/install.sh
@@ -3236,6 +3236,8 @@ spec:
               value: "180000"
             - name: OVN_LEADER_PROBE_INTERVAL
               value: "5"
+            - name: OVN_NORTHD_N_THREADS
+              value: "1"
           resources:
             requests:
               cpu: 300m
diff --git a/dist/images/start-db.sh b/dist/images/start-db.sh
index 57e4df8906a..4dc3dc38013 100755
--- a/dist/images/start-db.sh
+++ b/dist/images/start-db.sh
@@ -2,10 +2,12 @@
 set -eo pipefail
 
 DEBUG_WRAPPER=${DEBUG_WRAPPER:-}
+OVN_NORTHD_N_THREADS=${OVN_NORTHD_N_THREADS:-1}
 DEBUG_OPT="--ovn-northd-wrapper=$DEBUG_WRAPPER --ovsdb-nb-wrapper=$DEBUG_WRAPPER --ovsdb-sb-wrapper=$DEBUG_WRAPPER"
 
 echo "PROBE_INTERVAL is set to $PROBE_INTERVAL"
 echo "OVN_LEADER_PROBE_INTERVAL is set to $OVN_LEADER_PROBE_INTERVAL"
+echo "OVN_NORTHD_N_THREADS is set to $OVN_NORTHD_N_THREADS"
 
 # https://bugs.launchpad.net/neutron/+bug/1776778
 if grep -q "3.10.0-862" /proc/version
@@ -275,7 +277,7 @@ if [[ "$ENABLE_SSL" == "false" ]]; then
                 --remote=db:Local_Config,Config,connections \
                 /etc/ovn/ovnsb_local_config.db
             /usr/share/ovn/scripts/ovn-ctl $ovn_ctl_args \
-                --ovn-manage-ovsdb=no start_northd
+                --ovn-manage-ovsdb=no --ovn-northd-n-threads="${OVN_NORTHD_N_THREADS}" start_northd
             ovn-nbctl --no-leader-only set NB_Global . options:inactivity_probe=${PROBE_INTERVAL}
             ovn-sbctl --no-leader-only set SB_Global . options:inactivity_probe=${PROBE_INTERVAL}
             ovn-nbctl --no-leader-only set NB_Global . options:northd_probe_interval=${PROBE_INTERVAL}
@@ -341,6 +343,7 @@ if [[ "$ENABLE_SSL" == "false" ]]; then
             /usr/share/ovn/scripts/ovn-ctl \
                 $ovn_ctl_args \
                 --ovn-manage-ovsdb=no \
+                --ovn-northd-n-threads="${OVN_NORTHD_N_THREADS}" \
                 start_northd
         fi
     fi
@@ -356,6 +359,7 @@ else
             --ovn-northd-ssl-key=/var/run/tls/key \
             --ovn-northd-ssl-cert=/var/run/tls/cert \
             --ovn-northd-ssl-ca-cert=/var/run/tls/cacert \
+            --ovn-northd-n-threads="${OVN_NORTHD_N_THREADS}" \
             restart_northd
         ovn-nbctl --no-leader-only -p /var/run/tls/key -c /var/run/tls/cert -C /var/run/tls/cacert set-connection pssl:"${NB_PORT}":["${DB_ADDR}"]
         ovn-nbctl --no-leader-only -p /var/run/tls/key -c /var/run/tls/cert -C /var/run/tls/cacert set Connection . inactivity_probe=${PROBE_INTERVAL}
@@ -413,7 +417,7 @@ else
                 --remote=db:Local_Config,Config,connections \
                 /etc/ovn/ovnsb_local_config.db
             /usr/share/ovn/scripts/ovn-ctl $ovn_ctl_args \
-                --ovn-manage-ovsdb=no start_northd
+                --ovn-manage-ovsdb=no --ovn-northd-n-threads="${OVN_NORTHD_N_THREADS}" start_northd
             ovn-nbctl --no-leader-only -p /var/run/tls/key -c /var/run/tls/cert -C /var/run/tls/cacert set NB_Global . options:northd_probe_interval=${PROBE_INTERVAL}
             ovn-nbctl --no-leader-only -p /var/run/tls/key -c /var/run/tls/cert -C /var/run/tls/cacert set NB_Global . options:use_logical_dp_groups=true
         else
@@ -481,7 +485,7 @@ else
                 --remote=db:Local_Config,Config,connections \
                 /etc/ovn/ovnsb_local_config.db
             /usr/share/ovn/scripts/ovn-ctl $ovn_ctl_args \
-                --ovn-manage-ovsdb=no start_northd
+                --ovn-manage-ovsdb=no --ovn-northd-n-threads="${OVN_NORTHD_N_THREADS}" start_northd
         fi
     fi
 fi
diff --git a/yamls/ovn-dpdk.yaml b/yamls/ovn-dpdk.yaml
index 13f5efca5fb..b55cfb51221 100644
--- a/yamls/ovn-dpdk.yaml
+++ b/yamls/ovn-dpdk.yaml
@@ -236,6 +236,8 @@ spec:
               value: "180000"
             - name: OVN_LEADER_PROBE_INTERVAL
               value: "5"
+            - name: OVN_NORTHD_N_THREADS
+              value: "1"
           resources:
             requests:
               cpu: 500m
diff --git a/yamls/ovn-ha.yaml b/yamls/ovn-ha.yaml
index d8fe76afdc2..c8703f3f4ee 100644
--- a/yamls/ovn-ha.yaml
+++ b/yamls/ovn-ha.yaml
@@ -127,6 +127,8 @@ spec:
               value: "180000"
             - name: OVN_LEADER_PROBE_INTERVAL
               value: "5"
+            - name: OVN_NORTHD_N_THREADS
+              value: "1"
           resources:
             requests:
               cpu: 300m