Index: include/llvm/Support/Threading.h
===================================================================
--- include/llvm/Support/Threading.h
+++ include/llvm/Support/Threading.h
@@ -167,6 +167,19 @@
   /// purposes, and as with setting a thread's name no indication of whether
   /// the operation succeeded or failed is returned.
   void get_thread_name(SmallVectorImpl<char> &Name);
+
+  enum class ThreadPriority {
+    Background = 0,
+    Default = 1,
+  };
+  /// If priority is Background tries to lower current threads priority such
+  /// that it does not affect foreground tasks significantly. Can be used for
+  /// long-running, latency-insensitive tasks to make sure cpu is not hogged by
+  /// this task.
+  /// If the priority is default tries to restore current threads priority to
+  /// default scheduling priority.
+  /// Returns true on success.
+  bool set_thread_priority(ThreadPriority Priority);
 }
 
 #endif
Index: lib/Support/Unix/Threading.inc
===================================================================
--- lib/Support/Unix/Threading.inc
+++ lib/Support/Unix/Threading.inc
@@ -217,3 +217,37 @@
 #endif
 #endif
 }
+
+bool llvm::set_thread_priority(ThreadPriority Priority) {
+#if defined(__linux__) && defined(SCHED_IDLE)
+  // Some *really* old glibcs are missing SCHED_IDLE.
+  // http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man3/pthread_setschedparam.3.html
+  // http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man2/sched_setscheduler.2.html
+  sched_param priority;
+  // For each of the above policies, param->sched_priority must be 0.
+  priority.sched_priority = 0;
+  // SCHED_IDLE    for running very low priority background jobs.
+  // SCHED_OTHER   the standard round-robin time-sharing policy;
+  return !pthread_setschedparam(
+      pthread_self(),
+      Priority == ThreadPriority::Background ? SCHED_IDLE : SCHED_OTHER,
+      &priority);
+#elif defined(__APPLE__)
+  // https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/System/Conceptual/ManPages_iPhoneOS/man2/getpriority.2.html
+  // When setting a thread into background state the scheduling priority is set
+  // to lowest value, disk and network IO are throttled. Network IO will be
+  // throttled for any sockets the thread opens after going into background
+  // state. Any previously opened sockets are not affected.
+
+  // https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/System/Conceptual/ManPages_iPhoneOS/man3/getiopolicy_np.3.html
+  // I/Os with THROTTLE policy are called THROTTLE I/Os. If a THROTTLE I/O
+  // request occurs within a small time window (usually a fraction of a second)
+  // of another NORMAL I/O request, the thread that issues the THROTTLE I/O is
+  // forced to sleep for a certain interval. This slows down the thread that
+  // issues the THROTTLE I/O so that NORMAL I/Os can utilize most of the disk
+  // I/O bandwidth.
+  return !setpriority(PRIO_DARWIN_THREAD, 0,
+                      Priority == ThreadPriority::Background ? PRIO_DARWIN_BG
+                                                             : 0);
+#endif
+}
Index: lib/Support/Windows/Threading.inc
===================================================================
--- lib/Support/Windows/Threading.inc
+++ lib/Support/Windows/Threading.inc
@@ -106,3 +106,17 @@
   // value.
   Name.clear();
 }
+
+bool llvm::set_thread_priority(ThreadPriority Priority) {
+  // https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/api/processthreadsapi/nf-processthreadsapi-setthreadpriority
+  // Begin background processing mode. The system lowers the resource scheduling
+  // priorities of the thread so that it can perform background work without
+  // significantly affecting activity in the foreground.
+  // End background processing mode. The system restores the resource scheduling
+  // priorities of the thread as they were before the thread entered background
+  // processing mode.
+  return SetThreadPriority(GetCurrentThread(),
+                           Priority == ThreadPriority::Background
+                               ? THREAD_MODE_BACKGROUND_BEGIN
+                               : THREAD_MODE_BACKGROUND_END);
+}