VMware has quietly launched a technology preview of its ESX hypervisor running on Arm processors, supporting servers from HPE, Gigabyte, and Supermicro powered by Ampere and Nvidia Grace chips, with guest OS support for RHEL, Ubuntu, and SUSE. The preview is limited in scope, lacking key features such as vSAN storage and NSX networking, and requires a separate x86-based vCenter for management. VMware is pursuing Arm support due to growing customer interest in edge computing, AI workloads, and the energy efficiency advantages of Arm processors, though the company has not committed to a timeline for a full release.
