diff --git a/examples/qualcomm/oss_scripts/llama/llama.py b/examples/qualcomm/oss_scripts/llama/llama.py
index 2e7ae6d57d4..c034618fc70 100755
--- a/examples/qualcomm/oss_scripts/llama/llama.py
+++ b/examples/qualcomm/oss_scripts/llama/llama.py
@@ -510,10 +510,19 @@ def _build_parser():
 
     parser.add_argument("-v", "--verbose", action="store_true")
 
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "--calibration_num_threads",
+        type=int,
+        default=0,
+        help="Thread count for calibration forward passes. 0 = auto-tune (default).",
+    )
+
     return parser
 
 
 def export_llama(args) -> None:
+    if args.calibration_num_threads < 0:
+        raise ValueError("--calibration_num_threads must be >= 0")
     if args.compile_only and args.pre_gen_pte:
         raise RuntimeError("Cannot set both compile_only and pre_gen_pte as true")
     if (TASKS_EVAL or SQNR_EVAL) in args.eval_methods and args.model_mode not in {
diff --git a/examples/qualcomm/oss_scripts/llama/wrappers/llm_wrappers.py b/examples/qualcomm/oss_scripts/llama/wrappers/llm_wrappers.py
index ebb9bed8b69..1737eea51c4 100644
--- a/examples/qualcomm/oss_scripts/llama/wrappers/llm_wrappers.py
+++ b/examples/qualcomm/oss_scripts/llama/wrappers/llm_wrappers.py
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@
 import inspect
 import json
 import logging
+import os
+import time
 import types
 
 from functools import partial
@@ -412,6 +414,63 @@ def _tag_ios(self, node, fixed_point_type):
 
         return quant_io_type
 
+    def _auto_tune_calibration_threads(self):
+        """Find the optimal thread count for calibration via quick microbenchmark.
+
+        AR1 decode calibration is SGEMV-dominated (memory-bandwidth-bound).
+        The default thread count (os.cpu_count()) is typically far too high,
+        causing massive OpenMP sync overhead. This runs a few forward passes
+        at candidate thread counts and picks the fastest.
+        """
+        # Use sched_getaffinity when available — it respects cgroup/taskset
+        # constraints (e.g. containers), unlike os.cpu_count() which returns
+        # the host total regardless of pinning.
+        available = (
+            len(os.sched_getaffinity(0))
+            if hasattr(os, "sched_getaffinity")
+            else (os.cpu_count() or 1)
+        )
+        baseline = min(torch.get_num_threads(), available)
+        # Sample fractions of the thread ceiling from low through the
+        # bandwidth-saturation knee up to the current default.
+        fractions = (1 / 8, 1 / 4, 3 / 8, 1 / 2, 2 / 3, 3 / 4, 1.0)
+        candidates = sorted(
+            {1, baseline} | {max(1, round(baseline * f)) for f in fractions}
+        )
+        original = torch.get_num_threads()
+        best_threads, best_time = original, float("inf")
+        try:
+            for n_threads in candidates:
+                torch.set_num_threads(n_threads)
+                try:
+                    with torch.no_grad():
+                        self.decoder(*self.export_input)  # warmup
+                        t0 = time.perf_counter()
+                        for _ in range(3):
+                            self.decoder(*self.export_input)
+                        elapsed = time.perf_counter() - t0
+                    if elapsed < best_time:
+                        best_threads, best_time = n_threads, elapsed
+                except Exception:
+                    logging.debug("Auto-tune: threads=%d failed, skipping", n_threads)
+                    continue
+        finally:
+            torch.set_num_threads(original)
+        if best_time == float("inf"):
+            logging.warning(
+                "Auto-tune: all candidates %s failed, falling back to %d threads",
+                candidates,
+                baseline,
+            )
+            return baseline
+        logging.info(
+            "Auto-tune calibration threads: tested %s, best=%d (%.1fms/fwd)",
+            candidates,
+            best_threads,
+            best_time / 3 * 1000,
+        )
+        return best_threads
+
     def _calibrate(
         self,
         model,
@@ -552,6 +611,14 @@ def quantize(self, request: Request):  # noqa: C901
                 self.decoder, self.export_input, strict=True
             ).module()
 
+            # Auto-tune thread count BEFORE prepare_pt2e so the benchmark
+            # runs on the exported model without observers — no risk of
+            # polluting observer state with synthetic inputs.
+            if self.mode == Mode.DECODE or not self.model_args.use_kv_cache:
+                calib_threads = getattr(self.control_args, "calibration_num_threads", 0)
+                if calib_threads <= 0:
+                    calib_threads = self._auto_tune_calibration_threads()
+
             self.decoder = prepare_pt2e(self.decoder, quantizer)
             if self.apply_embedding:
                 self.tok_embedding = prepare_pt2e(
@@ -560,14 +627,24 @@ def quantize(self, request: Request):  # noqa: C901
 
             # start calibration (only for kv mode or prefill mode without kv cache)
             if self.mode == Mode.DECODE or not self.model_args.use_kv_cache:
-                self._calibrate(
-                    model=self.decoder,
-                    tokenizer=data.tokenizer,
-                    event="prepare_pt2e",
-                    user_calibration_data=data.calibration_data.datasets,
-                    tok_embedding=self.tok_embedding,
-                    intermediate_outputs=image_embedding,
+                original_threads = torch.get_num_threads()
+                torch.set_num_threads(calib_threads)
+                logging.info(
+                    "Calibration using %d threads (was %d)",
+                    calib_threads,
+                    original_threads,
                 )
+                try:
+                    self._calibrate(
+                        model=self.decoder,
+                        tokenizer=data.tokenizer,
+                        event="prepare_pt2e",
+                        user_calibration_data=data.calibration_data.datasets,
+                        tok_embedding=self.tok_embedding,
+                        intermediate_outputs=image_embedding,
+                    )
+                finally:
+                    torch.set_num_threads(original_threads)
             else:
                 # one dummy inference to remove affine observer
                 # error happened in convert_pt2e