In this Techzine TV video, recorded at HPE Discover 2025, we dive deep into VME. This KVM-based hypervisor is experiencing rapid growth due to its compelling price point (socket-based pricing), flexibility, and near bare-metal performance (98%). We take the dive with Rajeev Bhardwaj, VP & CPO for HPE GreenLake Private Cloud.
VME as VMware Alternative
Launched in December 2024 with monthly software releases, VME offers a compelling alternative to VMware, Bhardwaj argues. It addresses customer demand for choice and lower TCO. Also, it integrates seamlessly with existing workloads, leveraging Morpheus for management, and supports a disaggregated architecture for independent compute and storage scaling.
Enterprise-Ready Features
HPE VM Essentials is enterprise-ready, according to Bhardwaj. Important features include:
- Automation capabilities
- Workload mobility
- Broad hardware and software compatibility (Windows/Linux, various databases, Veeam/Zerto/Cohesity)
Real-World Success Story
Bhardwaj also gives an example regarding the enterprise-readiness of VME. He cites a deployment of VME across 22 sites, managing 20,000 VMs and 8 petabytes of data, which resulted in a 70% cost savings.
HPE’s Full-Stack Approach
The company’s full-stack approach, including hardware, software, and comprehensive support (300+ retrained engineers), is a key differentiator, Bhardwaj echoes some common sentiments about VME during HPE Discover 2025. This also enables partners to build sovereign cloud solutions.
While initially driven by the need for VMware alternatives, VME’s momentum continues to build. It receives increasing customer and partner interest and numerous POCs and deployments.