# 11.3. Running multi-threaded MPI applications

Support for `MPI_THREAD_MULTIPLE` (i.e., multiple threads executing within the MPI library) and asynchronous message passing progress (i.e., continuing message passing operations even while no user threads are in the MPI library) has been designed into Open MPI from its first planning meetings.

`MPI_THREAD_MULTIPLE` was included in the first version of Open MPI, but it only became robust around v3.0.0. Subsequent releases continually improve reliability and performance of multi-threaded MPI applications.