VMware vSphere 9

In this blogpost I will as a VMware vExpert cover whats new in VMware vSphere 9

VMware vSphere 9 was released, June 17 2025 as part of VMware vSphere Foundation 9 and VMware Cloud Foundation 9

Build number: 24957454

Components of VMware vSphere 9

• VMware vSphere ESXi9
• VMware vCenter 9

Versions of VMware vSphere 9

• VMware vSphere Foundation 9
• VMware Cloud Foundation 9

Upgrade path for VMware vSphere 9

Streamlined Upgrade Path: vSphere 9.0 supports direct upgrades from vSphere 8.0, enabling smoother transitions for recent versions.
Compatibility Requirements: vCenter 9.0 requires ESX 8.0 or later, dropping support for ESX 7.0 and earlier versions.
Lifecycle Management Shift: Traditional VMware Update Manager is replaced by image-based lifecycle management for all clusters and hosts.

Key New Features in vSphere 9.0

1. Memory Tiering over NVMe
vSphere 9 introduces NVMe Memory Tiering, allowing local NVMe devices to serve as a secondary memory tier. This can expand effective host memory capacity and improve VM density without requiring more DRAM. 

2. Virtual Hardware Version 22

• Updated VM hardware version that enables support for up to 960 vCPUs and larger memory limits (e.g., ~16 TB).
• Improved device support (NVMe, PCI passthrough, graphics).
  This unlocks greater performance and scalability for heavy workloads. 

3. Enhanced Storage Support

• Native support for 4K SSDs on compatible hardware.
• Write Zeroes support and namespace write protection for virtual NVMe devices, which improve performance and storage efficiency. 

4. Lifecycle Management Upgrades

• vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM) enhancements, including mixed-hardware clusters and composite cluster images.
• Traditional baselines-based patching is replaced by image-based lifecycle workflows. 

5. vMotion & Cluster Improvements

• Optimizations for vMotion (including better performance for GPU-enabled workloads).
• Improvements to managing clusters and lifecycle across hosts. 

6. Kubernetes & Modern Workloads Support

• Enhanced support and tooling for integrating Kubernetes workloads via Supervisor services (especially in vSphere Foundation / Cloud Foundation contexts).
• Live VM customization APIs and enhanced automation. 

7. API & Developer Experience Enhancements

• Open API 3.0 and a more unified SDK for automation across vCenter, vSAN, and core APIs.
• Simplified automation and scripting using consistent API sets. 

8. Security & Compliance Improvements

• Enhanced support for modern security standards including TLS 1.3 and vTPM support.
• Namespace write protection and disk protections for virtual storage. 

9. Changes in Deprecated/Removed Features
vSphere 9 also marks the deprecation or removal of certain legacy features such as Auto Deploy, Host Profiles, baselines (in favor of vLCM), and parts of older management tooling — signaling VMware’s shift toward more modern infrastructure management. 

Source

https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware-cis/vsphere/vsphere/9-0/release-notes.html