diff --git a/.circleci/build-verilator.sh b/.circleci/build-verilator.sh
index acd038f..a6780d1 100755
--- a/.circleci/build-verilator.sh
+++ b/.circleci/build-verilator.sh
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ if [ ! -d "$LOCAL_VERILATOR_DIR" ]; then
     run "mkdir -p $REMOTE_CHIPYARD_DIR"
     copy $LOCAL_CHIPYARD_DIR/ $SERVER:$REMOTE_CHIPYARD_DIR
 
-    run "make -C $REMOTE_SIM_DIR VERILATOR_INSTALL_DIR=$REMOTE_VERILATOR_DIR verilator_install"
+    run "make -j$NPROC -C $REMOTE_SIM_DIR VERILATOR_INSTALL_DIR=$REMOTE_VERILATOR_DIR verilator_install"
 
     # copy so that circleci can cache
     mkdir -p $LOCAL_CHIPYARD_DIR
diff --git a/.circleci/defaults.sh b/.circleci/defaults.sh
index fb7a357..66cf3b3 100755
--- a/.circleci/defaults.sh
+++ b/.circleci/defaults.sh
@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@ clean () {
     run "rm -rf $REMOTE_WORK_DIR"
 }
 
+# make parallelism
+NPROC=8
+
 # remote variables
 REMOTE_WORK_DIR=$CI_DIR/$CIRCLE_PROJECT_REPONAME-$CIRCLE_BRANCH-$CIRCLE_SHA1-$CIRCLE_JOB
 REMOTE_RISCV_DIR=$REMOTE_WORK_DIR/riscv-tools-install
diff --git a/.circleci/do-rtl-build.sh b/.circleci/do-rtl-build.sh
index 00dc729..c4eb04a 100755
--- a/.circleci/do-rtl-build.sh
+++ b/.circleci/do-rtl-build.sh
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ fi
 
 # enter the verilator directory and build the specific config on remote server
 run "make -C $REMOTE_SIM_DIR clean"
-run "export RISCV=\"$TOOLS_DIR\"; export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=\"$LD_LIB_DIR\"; export VERILATOR_ROOT=$REMOTE_VERILATOR_DIR/install/share/verilator; make -C $REMOTE_SIM_DIR VERILATOR_INSTALL_DIR=$REMOTE_VERILATOR_DIR JAVA_ARGS=\"-Xmx8G -Xss8M\" ${mapping[$1]}"
+run "export RISCV=\"$TOOLS_DIR\"; export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=\"$LD_LIB_DIR\"; export VERILATOR_ROOT=$REMOTE_VERILATOR_DIR/install/share/verilator; make -j$NPROC -C $REMOTE_SIM_DIR VERILATOR_INSTALL_DIR=$REMOTE_VERILATOR_DIR JAVA_ARGS=\"-Xmx8G -Xss8M\" ${mapping[$1]}"
 run "rm -rf $REMOTE_CHIPYARD_DIR/project"
 
 # copy back the final build
diff --git a/.circleci/run-tests.sh b/.circleci/run-tests.sh
index 99fd42d..4a6d9e7 100755
--- a/.circleci/run-tests.sh
+++ b/.circleci/run-tests.sh
@@ -12,11 +12,11 @@ source $SCRIPT_DIR/defaults.sh
 export VERILATOR_ROOT=$LOCAL_VERILATOR_DIR/install/share/verilator
 
 run_bmark () {
-    make run-bmark-tests-fast -C $LOCAL_SIM_DIR VERILATOR_INSTALL_DIR=$LOCAL_VERILATOR_DIR $@
+    make run-bmark-tests-fast -j$NPROC -C $LOCAL_SIM_DIR VERILATOR_INSTALL_DIR=$LOCAL_VERILATOR_DIR $@
 }
 
 run_asm () {
-    make run-asm-tests-fast -C $LOCAL_SIM_DIR VERILATOR_INSTALL_DIR=$LOCAL_VERILATOR_DIR $@
+    make run-asm-tests-fast -j$NPROC -C $LOCAL_SIM_DIR VERILATOR_INSTALL_DIR=$LOCAL_VERILATOR_DIR $@
 }
 
 run_both () {
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ case $1 in
         export RISCV=$LOCAL_ESP_DIR
         export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LOCAL_ESP_DIR/lib
         export PATH=$RISCV/bin:$PATH
-        make run-rv64uv-p-asm-tests -C $LOCAL_SIM_DIR VERILATOR_INSTALL_DIR=$LOCAL_VERILATOR_DIR ${mapping[$1]}
+        make run-rv64uv-p-asm-tests -j$NPROC -C $LOCAL_SIM_DIR VERILATOR_INSTALL_DIR=$LOCAL_VERILATOR_DIR ${mapping[$1]}
         ;;
     *)
         echo "No set of tests for $1. Did you spell it right?"
diff --git a/common.mk b/common.mk
index f8c117d..1961873 100644
--- a/common.mk
+++ b/common.mk
@@ -38,7 +38,9 @@ $(sim_files): $(call lookup_scala_srcs,$(base_dir)/generators/utilities/src/main
 #########################################################################################
 # create firrtl file rule and variables
 #########################################################################################
-$(FIRRTL_FILE) $(ANNO_FILE): $(SCALA_SOURCES) $(sim_files)
+.INTERMEDIATE: generator_temp
+$(FIRRTL_FILE) $(ANNO_FILE): generator_temp
+generator_temp: $(SCALA_SOURCES) $(sim_files)
 	mkdir -p $(build_dir)
 	cd $(base_dir) && $(SBT) "project $(SBT_PROJECT)" "runMain $(GENERATOR_PACKAGE).Generator $(build_dir) $(MODEL_PACKAGE) $(MODEL) $(CONFIG_PACKAGE) $(CONFIG)"
 
@@ -51,16 +53,22 @@ HARNESS_CONF_FLAGS = -thconf $(HARNESS_SMEMS_CONF)
 TOP_TARGETS = $(TOP_FILE) $(TOP_SMEMS_CONF) $(TOP_ANNO) $(TOP_FIR) $(sim_top_blackboxes)
 HARNESS_TARGETS = $(HARNESS_FILE) $(HARNESS_SMEMS_CONF) $(HARNESS_ANNO) $(HARNESS_FIR) $(sim_harness_blackboxes)
 
-$(TOP_TARGETS) $(HARNESS_TARGETS): $(FIRRTL_FILE) $(ANNO_FILE)
+.INTERMEDIATE: firrtl_temp
+$(TOP_TARGETS) $(HARNESS_TARGETS): firrtl_temp
+firrtl_temp: $(FIRRTL_FILE) $(ANNO_FILE)
 	cd $(base_dir) && $(SBT) "project tapeout" "runMain barstools.tapeout.transforms.GenerateTopAndHarness -o $(TOP_FILE) -tho $(HARNESS_FILE) -i $(FIRRTL_FILE) --syn-top $(TOP) --harness-top $(VLOG_MODEL) -faf $(ANNO_FILE) -tsaof $(TOP_ANNO) -tdf $(sim_top_blackboxes) -tsf $(TOP_FIR) -thaof $(HARNESS_ANNO) -hdf $(sim_harness_blackboxes) -thf $(HARNESS_FIR) $(REPL_SEQ_MEM) $(HARNESS_CONF_FLAGS) -td $(build_dir)"
 
 # This file is for simulation only. VLSI flows should replace this file with one containing hard SRAMs
 MACROCOMPILER_MODE ?= --mode synflops
-$(TOP_SMEMS_FILE) $(TOP_SMEMS_FIR): $(TOP_SMEMS_CONF)
+.INTERMEDIATE: top_macro_temp
+$(TOP_SMEMS_FILE) $(TOP_SMEMS_FIR): top_macro_temp
+top_macro_temp: $(TOP_SMEMS_CONF)
 	cd $(base_dir) && $(SBT) "project barstoolsMacros" "runMain barstools.macros.MacroCompiler -n $(TOP_SMEMS_CONF) -v $(TOP_SMEMS_FILE) -f $(TOP_SMEMS_FIR) $(MACROCOMPILER_MODE)"
 
 HARNESS_MACROCOMPILER_MODE = --mode synflops
-$(HARNESS_SMEMS_FILE) $(HARNESS_SMEMS_FIR): $(HARNESS_SMEMS_CONF)
+.INTERMEDIATE: harness_macro_temp
+$(HARNESS_SMEMS_FILE) $(HARNESS_SMEMS_FIR): harness_macro_temp
+harness_macro_temp: $(HARNESS_SMEMS_CONF)
 	cd $(base_dir) && $(SBT) "project barstoolsMacros" "runMain barstools.macros.MacroCompiler -n $(HARNESS_SMEMS_CONF) -v $(HARNESS_SMEMS_FILE) -f $(HARNESS_SMEMS_FIR) $(HARNESS_MACROCOMPILER_MODE)"
 
 ########################################################################################
diff --git a/sims/verilator/Makefile b/sims/verilator/Makefile
index 3763f62..ae27afd 100644
--- a/sims/verilator/Makefile
+++ b/sims/verilator/Makefile
@@ -97,12 +97,11 @@ $(model_mk_debug): $(sim_vsrcs) $(sim_common_files) $(INSTALLED_VERILATOR)
 #########################################################################################
 # invoke make to make verilator sim rules
 #########################################################################################
-VERILATOR_MAKEFLAGS=-j8
 $(sim): $(model_mk)
-	$(MAKE) $(VERILATOR_MAKEFLAGS) VM_PARALLEL_BUILDS=1 -C $(model_dir) -f V$(VLOG_MODEL).mk
+	$(MAKE) VM_PARALLEL_BUILDS=1 -C $(model_dir) -f V$(VLOG_MODEL).mk
 
 $(sim_debug): $(model_mk_debug)
-	$(MAKE) $(VERILATOR_MAKEFLAGS) VM_PARALLEL_BUILDS=1 -C $(model_dir_debug) -f V$(VLOG_MODEL).mk
+	$(MAKE) VM_PARALLEL_BUILDS=1 -C $(model_dir_debug) -f V$(VLOG_MODEL).mk
 
 #########################################################################################
 # create a verilator vpd rule