per Core
Catalog row in Vendor License Metrics · Cited
- Unit
- Core
- Aliases
- per Core (subscription); per Core license metric; core license unit; Licensed Cores; per core licensing model; VMware Cloud Foundation (cores); primary licenses based on a core license unit
- Definition
- Software is subscription software licensed on a per Core license metric with a minimum licensing requirement of 16 Cores per Processor. Core means a single physical computational unit of the Processor. Processor means a single, physical chip that houses at least one Core that can execute computer programs. (VMware Cloud Foundation SPD, June 2026; same License Metric sentence in VVF SPD June 2026 and vSphere Standard / Enterprise Plus / Essentials Plus SPDs February 2026.)
- Counting rules
- Each Core on the Server where Software is installed must be licensed, including Cores deactivated by the BIOS. The required number of Core licenses equals the number of Cores on the Server, subject to the minimum of 16 Core licenses per Processor. Customer may use Software on a Server with up to the number of Cores for which Customer has paid the applicable license fees. Server means a hardware system capable of running the server software. A hardware partition or blade is considered a separate hardware system. All components and capabilities included in Software (e.g. vSphere, NSX, VCF Operations, etc.) may only be utilized on, or for, the same physical Cores where the vSphere component in Software Core license is deployed.
- Floors / minimums
- 16 Core licenses per Processor (VCF SPD June 2026; VVF SPD June 2026; vSphere Standard / Enterprise Plus / Essentials Plus SPDs February 2026). Retrieved SPDs do not name a 72-core per-order minimum.
- Applies to products
- VMware Cloud Foundation
- VMware vSphere Foundation
- VMware vSphere Standard
- VMware vSphere Enterprise Plus
- VMware vSphere Essentials Plus
- Applies to editions
- Standard
- Enterprise Plus
- Essentials Plus
- Product category