The ROP fetch's batching feature only works over a range of frames -- each batch will render the ROP by calling the ROP's
render method over the full range specified on the node, instead of just for a single frame. If you're only rendering frame 1 for each work item, it's currently not possible to batch the work.
You could instead use Services though, which are a more general feature that creates a fixed pool of worker processes that get reused between work items:
https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/tops/services.html [
www.sidefx.com]