Broadcom has officially announced the general availability of VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0, marking a significant leap in the evolution of private cloud infrastructure. Positioned as a full-stack platform that blends performance, security, and simplicity, VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 is engineered to support a wide array of enterprise workloads—including traditional, cloud-native, and AI applications—across private data centers, cloud providers, and edge environments.

Originally unveiled at VMware Explore 2024, VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 is now available through authorized Broadcom distributors and aims to address a growing trend among enterprises: the repatriation of workloads from public cloud to private infrastructure. This move is driven by concerns around cost, predictability, and control, according to Broadcom’s Private Cloud Outlook 2025 report.

Rising Demand for Modern Private Cloud

Broadcom’s survey reveals a strong pivot toward hybrid and private cloud models. An overwhelming 93% of enterprises are actively balancing private and public clouds, while 69% are considering or already repatriating workloads from public platforms. The top priority over the next three years? Building new workloads in private cloud environments.

“Private cloud is not a location but an operating model,” said Pranshanth Shenoy, VP of Product Marketing for VMware Cloud Foundation. “With VCF 9.0, we’re resetting the bar for what a good private cloud platform should deliver—catering both to cloud admins and developers.”

Unified Platform with Enhanced Usability

One of the hallmark features of VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 is its unified operational interface, simplifying the experience for IT admins and developers alike. A new Quick Start App reduces deployment complexity and time, while lifecycle management, fleet-level upgrades, and centralized identity management enhance consistency and operational efficiency across environments.

VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 also includes integrated cost management, helping enterprises better understand their cloud expenditures with predictive modeling, automated resource optimization, and detailed chargeback insights. This enables more effective budgeting and resource planning.

Enhanced Developer Experience

With VCF 9.0, Broadcom places a strong emphasis on developer autonomy. The platform supports frictionless self-service provisioning and delivers infrastructure as code, enabling rapid deployment of applications and services.

“Infrastructure is just the means; the end goal is running business-critical applications,” said Shenoy. “With VCF 9.0, developers can provision infrastructure in seconds instead of waiting weeks or months.”

Breaking Down IT Silos

Early adopters are already realizing tangible benefits. Roger Joys, Principal Technology Strategy Advisor at GCI Communications, praised the platform’s ability to eliminate IT silos and technical debt: “Security patches are easier to implement, new applications deploy in minutes instead of months, and updates roll out to customers faster. These benefits were once only associated with the public cloud—we’re achieving them in our private cloud.”

Key Innovations in VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0

1. VMware vDefend Security Enhancements

VCF 9.0 introduces a revamped vDefend solution, Broadcom’s software-defined lateral security layer. It now supports Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)-level policy enforcement, centralized firewall creation, and multi-tenant isolation. Global IDS/IPS policies offer consistent threat management across multiple VCF sites. An Advanced Service tier of vDefend provides threat detection, zero-trust enforcement, and micro-segmentation at the application level.

2. Avi Load Balancer Integration

The Avi Load Balancer, now deeply integrated into VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0, supports both VM and Kubernetes workloads. It enables plug-and-play deployment, automated lifecycle management, and a declarative API for simplified provisioning. The new Advanced Service brings built-in global server load balancing, application health monitoring, and self-service load balancing features.

3. Data Services Manager (DSM)

VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0’s Data Services Manager now supports PostgreSQL and MySQL with enterprise-grade reliability. Integration with VCF Automation allows IT teams to deliver databases as a service (DBaaS), simplifying large-scale database operations. Microsoft SQL Server support is also in preview.

4. Live Recovery for Cyber Resilience

Broadcom introduced VMware Live Recovery, a cyber and disaster recovery solution. It offers up to 200 immutable snapshots per VM and native replication. Customers can recover within an isolated, on-premises clean room or existing cloud options, ensuring data sovereignty and rapid restoration during cyberattacks or disasters.

5. VMware Private AI Foundation with Nvidia

In collaboration with Nvidia, Broadcom launched the VMware Private AI Foundation, a platform tailored for enterprise AI workloads. This includes GPU-as-a-Service with multi-tenancy, air-gapped cybersecurity, and advanced vGPU monitoring. Features like Model Runtime and Agent Builder help enterprises scale AI capabilities efficiently while maintaining security.

Unified Support for VM, Kubernetes, and AI Workloads

VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 integrates vSphere Kubernetes Service (VKS) to unify the management of virtual machines and containers. This simplifies DevOps pipelines and supports AI/ML workloads natively, allowing IT to govern workloads while developers innovate freely.

Improved Cost Transparency and Planning

One of VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0’s biggest draws is its enhanced financial visibility. Built-in analytics offer detailed insights into total cost of ownership, spanning software licensing, data center resources, and operational expenses. Automated capacity management ensures optimal utilization, minimizing waste and maximizing ROI.

Streamlined Cloud Operations

VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 enables streamlined cloud consumption through a shared operational model. Platform teams can easily define and enforce governance policies, while developers gain access to automated, elastic self-service IaaS resources.

Centralized identity and access management—featuring single sign-on, password policies, and compliance guardrails—ensures uniform security across tenants and deployments.

Boosted Security and Sovereignty

To help organizations navigate complex regulatory landscapes, VCF 9.0 introduces a SecOps dashboard that surfaces key metrics around security posture and data controls. Support for AMD and Intel confidential computing technologies—like secure enclaves and encrypted memory—enhances privacy and workload integrity across hybrid environments.

Partner and Channel Availability

VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 is available immediately through authorized Broadcom distributors and VMware partners. It’s positioned as the foundation for future private cloud innovation, combining full-stack simplicity with enterprise-grade resilience, governance, and agility.

Final Thoughts

As enterprises increasingly look for alternatives to public cloud models, VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 provides a compelling case for private cloud repatriation. It blends the scalability and developer freedom of the public cloud with the control, compliance, and predictability of on-prem infrastructure.

“With VMware Cloud Foundation 9, we’re vastly simplifying cloud operations and elevating the private cloud experience,” said Krish Prasad, Senior VP and GM of Broadcom’s VCF Division. “This platform is built for innovation, efficiency, and resilience—key imperatives for enterprises today.”

In a market where agility, security, and cost control are paramount, VCF 9.0 may be exactly what enterprises need to future-proof their infrastructure while maximizing value.