2.2 KiB
2.2 KiB
title, type, tags, last_updated
| title | type | tags | last_updated | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VMware Cloud on AWS (VMC on AWS) | concept |
|
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