One vendor doesn't mind high RAM prices: VMware
(2026/03/04)
- Reference: 1772606724
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2026/03/04/one_company_is_very_happy/
- Source link:
The high price of memory and solid-state storage has almost everyone worried – but not VMware, because the most innovative new feature in the Cloud Foundation 9 (VCF 9) private cloud suite it launched last year is memory tiering tech that allows offload of data from RAM to NVMe drives.
VMware has always promoted VCF 9 memory tiering as offering the chance to reduce infrastructure costs by reducing the amount of RAM needed in new servers, and by creating the opportunity to upgrade the NVMe drives in old boxes and effectively increase their memory capacity. Last week, the Broadcom business unit [1]doubled down on those positions.
Those arguments are of course a little self-serving, because the cost of NVMe storage has also risen. VMware also [2]admits that memory tiering won’t work for every workload and isn’t suitable for latency-sensitive or very large VMs.
Cisco set to release home-brew hypervisor as a VMware alternative [3]READ MORE
But VMware’s memory tiering is currently superior to the alternative Compute Express Link (CXL).
Virtzilla’s customers therefore need to consider VCF 9, especially if pondering the fact that AMD’s and Intel’s most recent releases of manycore CPUs have created an excellent reason to consider a new round of server consolidation. Dell says its customers are replacing seven boxes with one new machine. Intel thinks sixth-gen Xeons allow organizations to consolidate five servers into a single box.
[4]
Those new servers can run huge numbers of virtual machines, which [5]concentrate risk , and need massive amounts of expensive memory.
[6]
[7]
But VMware does not require every host in a cluster to implement memory tiering. VCF 9 therefore means those contemplating a fresh round of server consolidation have a new option to consider as they consider future architectures.
[8]Hard drives already sold out for this year – AI to blame
[9]AI gets all the good stuff, including Micron's speedy 28 GB/s PCIe 6.0 SSD
[10]Memory scalpers hunt scarce DRAM with bot blitz
[11]PCs and phones to get more boring and expensive in 2026 thanks to memory drought
Those contemplations will doubtless include the cost of VCF 9, which comes at a price that often startles users of the vSphere server virtualization products VMware no longer actively sells.
VMware has successfully made the case that VCF 9 represents excellent value for many of its largest customers. However, The Register has heard myriad accounts of vSphere users who feel VCF 9 is uncomfortably expensive. Broadcom’s response to that discomfort is often to make an offer for VCF 9 and tell buyers they can take it or leave it.
Many users walk away. But I hear of plenty who decide they don’t need VCF 9 for all their workloads, adopt the platform for some of their VM fleet, move the rest to another hypervisor and learn to live with multiple virtualization platforms.
[12]
I expect high memory prices will mean more organizations decide they can live with a small VCF 9 footprint, and that Broadcom’s results – due this Friday – will therefore again feature growing revenue and margins from VMware. ®
Get our [13]Tech Resources
[1] https://blogs.vmware.com/cloud-foundation/2026/02/25/the-2026-structural-supply-crisis-why-vmware-cloud-foundation-is-the-answer-to-the-2026-hardware-crunch/
[2] https://blogs.vmware.com/cloud-foundation/2025/11/04/nvme-memory-tiering-design-and-sizing-on-vmware-cloud-foundation-9-part-1/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/16/cisco_nfvis_for_uc_hypervisor/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aagQtxGB8DOhkrG6Qf_U8QAAAQk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2024/10/07/risk_of_manycore_cpus/
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aagQtxGB8DOhkrG6Qf_U8QAAAQk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aagQtxGB8DOhkrG6Qf_U8QAAAQk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/20/ai_blamed_again_as_hard_drives_sell_out/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/17/micron_pcie_6/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/02/memory_scalpers_hunt_scarce_dram/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/27/memory_drought_pcs_phones_suck/
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aagQtxGB8DOhkrG6Qf_U8QAAAQk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
VMware has always promoted VCF 9 memory tiering as offering the chance to reduce infrastructure costs by reducing the amount of RAM needed in new servers, and by creating the opportunity to upgrade the NVMe drives in old boxes and effectively increase their memory capacity. Last week, the Broadcom business unit [1]doubled down on those positions.
Those arguments are of course a little self-serving, because the cost of NVMe storage has also risen. VMware also [2]admits that memory tiering won’t work for every workload and isn’t suitable for latency-sensitive or very large VMs.
Cisco set to release home-brew hypervisor as a VMware alternative [3]READ MORE
But VMware’s memory tiering is currently superior to the alternative Compute Express Link (CXL).
Virtzilla’s customers therefore need to consider VCF 9, especially if pondering the fact that AMD’s and Intel’s most recent releases of manycore CPUs have created an excellent reason to consider a new round of server consolidation. Dell says its customers are replacing seven boxes with one new machine. Intel thinks sixth-gen Xeons allow organizations to consolidate five servers into a single box.
[4]
Those new servers can run huge numbers of virtual machines, which [5]concentrate risk , and need massive amounts of expensive memory.
[6]
[7]
But VMware does not require every host in a cluster to implement memory tiering. VCF 9 therefore means those contemplating a fresh round of server consolidation have a new option to consider as they consider future architectures.
[8]Hard drives already sold out for this year – AI to blame
[9]AI gets all the good stuff, including Micron's speedy 28 GB/s PCIe 6.0 SSD
[10]Memory scalpers hunt scarce DRAM with bot blitz
[11]PCs and phones to get more boring and expensive in 2026 thanks to memory drought
Those contemplations will doubtless include the cost of VCF 9, which comes at a price that often startles users of the vSphere server virtualization products VMware no longer actively sells.
VMware has successfully made the case that VCF 9 represents excellent value for many of its largest customers. However, The Register has heard myriad accounts of vSphere users who feel VCF 9 is uncomfortably expensive. Broadcom’s response to that discomfort is often to make an offer for VCF 9 and tell buyers they can take it or leave it.
Many users walk away. But I hear of plenty who decide they don’t need VCF 9 for all their workloads, adopt the platform for some of their VM fleet, move the rest to another hypervisor and learn to live with multiple virtualization platforms.
[12]
I expect high memory prices will mean more organizations decide they can live with a small VCF 9 footprint, and that Broadcom’s results – due this Friday – will therefore again feature growing revenue and margins from VMware. ®
Get our [13]Tech Resources
[1] https://blogs.vmware.com/cloud-foundation/2026/02/25/the-2026-structural-supply-crisis-why-vmware-cloud-foundation-is-the-answer-to-the-2026-hardware-crunch/
[2] https://blogs.vmware.com/cloud-foundation/2025/11/04/nvme-memory-tiering-design-and-sizing-on-vmware-cloud-foundation-9-part-1/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/16/cisco_nfvis_for_uc_hypervisor/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aagQtxGB8DOhkrG6Qf_U8QAAAQk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2024/10/07/risk_of_manycore_cpus/
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aagQtxGB8DOhkrG6Qf_U8QAAAQk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aagQtxGB8DOhkrG6Qf_U8QAAAQk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/20/ai_blamed_again_as_hard_drives_sell_out/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/17/micron_pcie_6/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/02/memory_scalpers_hunt_scarce_dram/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/27/memory_drought_pcs_phones_suck/
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aagQtxGB8DOhkrG6Qf_U8QAAAQk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Unless you add in the cost of VMWare licenses...
Anonymous Coward
...in which case you'd be better off buying the RAM. In any case, you get features like memory tiering out of the box with KVM with modern Linux distros. It's just a standard OS feature.
I'm amazed no-one has thought of this before!
lordminty
"the most innovative new feature in the Cloud Foundation 9 (VCF 9) private cloud suite it launched last year is memory tiering tech that allows offload of data from RAM to NVMe drives."
Oh, they have? Why didn't anyone tell us that IBM mainframe VM has been doing this since 1967.
They've reinvented mainframe paging and swapping.
Every day in every way
Ken G
VMWare is coming closer to rebuilding a mainframe.
Really
PCScreenOnly
Windows does paging and while most of us have decent amount of RAM these days and reduce paging, I can see that with so many NVME it can become useful
However, a 2TB NVME ssd I got just over a year ago is now 4x its cost
Trojan horse saving
Broadcom / VMWare touting their memory tiering is nothing but a ruse at this point from a saving perspective. It's not a selling point, because any savings on memory purchases are more than eaten up by their screwing the pooch on licensing costs.
Only existing customers are likely to use it, and they probably are already.
It's not going to convince customers to stay when their now not-perpetual licences come up for forced renewal. They will be heading for the exits no matter what..
Probably saying Tierio on the way out.
I