VMware has announced the release of ESXi 8.0 Update 3e, the latest version of its industry-leading hypervisor. The update, released on April 10, 2025, includes several enhancements, important security fixes, and new features that further strengthen VMware’s position in the virtualization space.
VMware ESXi 8.0 Update
What makes this release more notable is that it’s available for free. Although ESXi has traditionally been part of the licensed vSphere suite, VMware—under Broadcom’s ownership—has made Update 3e accessible at no cost. The free version can be downloaded directly from Broadcom’s support portal.This move opens the door for smaller organizations, IT labs, and individual users to access enterprise-grade virtualization technology without licensing fees.
ESXi 8.0 Update 3e: Key Features & Improvements
VMware’s ESXi 8.0 Update 3e is now available for free, offering a range of enhancements designed to improve performance, security, and hardware compatibility. Here’s a look at the new features:
- Enhanced USB Driver Support
The ESXi USB driver now supports the Communication Device Class Network Control Model (CDC-NCM). This expands compatibility, especially with HPE Gen12 iLO Virtual NICs, and improves integration with management tools like HPE Agentless Management. - Quick Boot Support Expanded
Quick Boot reduces downtime during updates by allowing faster reboots. Now, it also supports:- Intel vRAN Baseband Driver
- Intel Data Center Graphics Driver
- AMD Instinct MI Series Driver
- Bug Fixes & Stability Improvements
Over 120 critical issues have been fixed, addressing:- Memory leaks during prolonged operations
- vSphere Virtual Volumes (vVols) improvements to avoid VM migration failures
- Fixes for purple diagnostic screens causing ESXi host failures
- Improved Networking & Storage
- Enhanced networking performance with better load balancing based on physical NIC load
- Storage improvements for NVMe controllers, vSAN clusters, and disk resyncs
- Support for Next-Gen Hardware
This update is optimized for newer hardware, including Intel and AMD EPYC processors, and provides support for advanced multi-segment PCIe devices. It’s ready for the latest data center infrastructures. - Security Enhancements
This release also includes critical security fixes for vulnerabilities in log management, virtual machine migrations, and Active Directory domain integration. This strengthens protection against evolving cyber threats.
With this update, ESXi 8.0 Update 3e becomes a powerful tool that’s now accessible to a wider range of users, from smaller businesses to IT professionals and students.
How to Download
The update is available for download in ISO or offline ZIP format from the Broadcom Support Portal. Please note, installing this update requires a host reboot, and virtual machines will need to be migrated or powered off.
By making ESXi 8.0 free, VMware is providing enterprise-grade virtualization technology to a larger audience. If you haven’t yet explored VMware, now is the perfect time to dive in.
Leave A Comment