Why VMware renewals cost more under Broadcom (and what drives your number)

Higher VMware renewal quotes under Broadcom are widely reported, but “it went up” is not a number you can negotiate against. Three mechanics drive the increase — and each one is measurable against your own estate.

1. Subscription conversion

Perpetual licenses are no longer sold or renewable. Support on existing perpetual entitlements runs until the contract term ends, after which the only path forward is a subscription. A cost you used to amortize over years becomes a recurring annual line.

2. Per-core counting with a floor

Subscriptions are counted per physical core, with a minimum of 16 cores per populated CPU. Hosts with sub-16-core sockets license as if they had 16, so the billable core count can exceed the cores you physically run. Across a large fleet, that floor compounds.

3. Bundle consolidation

Standalone products were folded into the VCF and VVF bundles. If a renewal moves you onto a bundle richer than you need — or past the per-core vSAN capacity allowance — the line items rise even before any price-per-core change.

Finding your real number

The increase is the product of these three mechanics applied to yourestate — not a market multiple. RenewalIntel reprices your actual hosts under the per-core model, applies the 16-core floor per socket, maps editions and vSAN consumption, and shows the calculation — so you can see what is driving your number and challenge what does not hold up, before you respond to the quote.