Click on and then select "VMware Cloud Foundation" .
The "2021" version people often search for is likely , which was the current standard at that time. For those moving to the 8.0 branch, here are the most recent builds: Release Name Release Date Build Number ESXi 8.0 Update 3i February 24, 2026 ESXi 8.0 Update 3g July 29, 2025 ESXi 8.0 Update 3e April 10, 2025 3. System Requirements for ESXi 8.0
Offload networking, storage, and security functions to specialized hardware, freeing up CPU cycles for application performance.
Locate the VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi) ISO image and click the download icon. A Warning Against Third-Party Sources Download -2021- Vmware Esxi 8.0 Iso
Click on the "My Downloads" or "Products" section on the dashboard.
VMware ESXi 8.0 is a next-generation hypervisor that provides a robust and secure foundation for virtualizing your data center. With ESXi 8.0, you can:
After download, verify the checksum:
sha256sum VMware-VMvisor-Installer-8.0.0-*.x86_64.iso
If you are running ESXi inside VMware Workstation or Type-2 hypervisors for testing, simply map the downloaded ISO file directly to the virtual CD/DVD drive of your VM.
vSphere 8.0 introduces support for Data Processing Units (DPUs). This offloads infrastructure tasks like networking and security (firewalls) from the main x86 CPU to the DPU, freeing up CPU cores for your actual workloads and improving performance. Click on and then select "VMware Cloud Foundation"
ESXi 8.0 introduced a paradigm shift in how data center resources are managed. Upgrading to or installing this version provides several distinct advantages: 1. Data Processing Units (DPUs) Support
: Visit the Broadcom Support Portal and log in. If you have an old VMware account, you may need to migrate it to the Broadcom infrastructure. Navigate to Downloads :
The general availability (GA) of vSphere 8.0 occurred on . So why do people search for a 2021 version? Typically, this search query arises from three scenarios: System Requirements for ESXi 8