---
title: "VMware Cloud on AWS (VMC on AWS)"
type: concept
tags:
  - VMware
  - AWS
  - Hybrid-Cloud
  - VMC
last_updated: 2026-04-25
---

## VMware Cloud on AWS (VMC on AWS)

A jointly engineered cloud service by VMware and AWS, where the VMware hypervisor runs natively on AWS bare metal servers. This is not simply deploying VMware software onto cloud infrastructure — it is a true joint engineering collaboration.

## Definition
VMC on AWS provides a middle ground for organizations not ready for a full native cloud migration. It allows vSphere workloads to move back and forth between on-premises and AWS cloud environments in seconds.

## Key Characteristics
- **Native Hypervisor**: VMware vSphere 8 runs natively on AWS hardware (i3.metal / i3en.metal)
- **Joint Engineering**: Not a simple software deployment — VMware and Amazon engineers the service together
- **Same Toolset**: Organizations use the same vSphere tools they use on-premises
- **AWS Service Integration**: Native access to AWS services with low latency
- **On-Demand Scalability**: Scale resources up or down as needed
- **HCX Migration**: Hybrid Cloud Extension enables any-to-any vSphere workload migration
- **27% Cost Savings**: Compared to using regular cloud compute services

## Use Cases
- Next-generation application development
- Cloud migration
- Virtual desktops (VDI)
- Disaster recovery

## Infrastructure
- **Server Hosts**: i3.metal and i3en.metal bare metal servers
- **Organization**: Clusters within availability zones and regions
- **Stretched Clusters**: Cross-AZ clusters for increased resilience
- **Management**: vCenter (same as on-premises)

## Cost Model
- VMware sells an entire host (enabling over-provisioning and cost reduction)
- Cloud economics team can perform TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) calculations
- Compare costs with on-premises or other hyperscalers

## Connections
- [[VMware]] ← provides ← [[VMware-Cloud-on-AWS]]
- [[AWS]] ← hosts ← [[VMware-Cloud-on-AWS]]
- [[HCX]] ← enables ← [[VMware-Cloud-on-AWS]] migration
- [[SDDC]] ← architecture ← [[VMware-Cloud-on-AWS]]
- [[Stretched-Cluster]] ← extends ← [[VMware-Cloud-on-AWS]] resilience
- [[Hybrid-Cloud]] ← implements ← [[VMware-Cloud-on-AWS]]

## Sources
- [[ctp-topic-43-vmware-cloud-on-aws]]