Know your exact VMware core count — measured against your real fleet, not a benchmark
After Broadcom, VMware is subscription-only, sold per core with a 16-core-per-CPU minimum and consolidated into the VCF/VVF bundles — and renewal is where the new model gets priced. Advisors estimate your number from market comparables and a point-in-time spreadsheet. RenewalIntel counts the cores you actually run, applies the floor per socket, and re-checks it every time the fleet changes.
The Broadcom transition repriced thousands of VMware estates in a short window. The gap between your old perpetual footprint and your new per-core requirement is knowable today — RenewalIntel makes it visible before the renewal quote does the math for you.
Three places the post-Broadcom model inflates your number
The 16-core-per-CPU floor
Every populated physical CPU bills a minimum of 16 cores, even if it has fewer. The only honest count applies that floor to every socket in your live inventory — not a sampled host list. (Broadcom floated a 72-core-per-order minimum in 2025, then reversed it; the standing floor is 16 per CPU.)
Bundle right-sizing (VCF vs VVF)
VCF adds NSX, automation, and a Kubernetes platform you may not run; if you only use vSphere + vSAN, VVF is the fit. Even VVF bundles vSAN capacity per core — exceed it and you owe add-ons. RenewalIntel maps editions and vSAN consumption per host against what is actually deployed.
The subscription conversion
Perpetual licenses are no longer sold or renewable; support on existing entitlements ends at term, forcing a subscription conversion at renewal. RenewalIntel reprices your actual estate under the per-core model, so the gap is your number, not an analyst’s range.
A traced calculation beats a negotiated estimate
An advisory firm gives you a negotiated estimate built from market comparables and the spreadsheet you hand them — accurate the day they deliver it, stale the day your fleet scales. RenewalIntel gives you a traced calculation: every licensed core tied to a specific host, socket count, and edition, recomputed on every connector run. You can hand it to Broadcom, your CFO, or an auditor and defend every digit.
From license keys to a defensible position
Bring in your data
Pull your VMware licenses and host inventory — via export or read-only collection from vCenter. Nothing reaches into your environment.
Reconcile per cluster
RenewalIntel counts cores per host, applies the 16-core-per-CPU floor per socket, and reconciles per cluster and per product line against your entitlements.
Get the verdict + evidence
A clear position, the priced gap, and the underlying calculation — every licensed core traced to a specific host, socket count, and edition.
Guides for every VMware renewal question
VMware’s per-core minimum: 16 cores, the 72-core scare, and how to count yours
The per-core model, the 16-core floor, and the 2025 72-core reversal — and how your real number is calculated.
Read guideVCF vs VVF: what each Broadcom bundle includes (and where you may be overpaying)
What each bundle actually includes, the per-core vSAN entitlements, and where the bundling premium hides.
Read guideWhy VMware renewals cost more under Broadcom (and what drives your number)
Subscription conversion, per-core counting, and bundle consolidation — and how to measure your own number.
Read guideVMware renewal checklist: how to prep before Broadcom sets your quote
What to verify before you respond — and which of these checks RenewalIntel runs for you.
Read guideVMware audit letter: what it means and what to do first
An audit letter is a deadline, not a verdict. What to verify first, and how to reach a defensible position.
Read guideKnow your VMware position before Broadcom sets the quote
Reconcile entitled cores against the hosts your fleet actually runs — in minutes, no engagement fee, no credit card.
VMware, vSphere, vSAN, VCF, and VVF are trademarks of Broadcom Inc. and/or its affiliates. RenewalIntel is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Broadcom. Vendor names identify reconciliation coverage only.