Broadcom, since acquiring VMware, has been implementing significant changes to personnel and products. This includes laying off employees, discontinuing perpetually licensed versions of VMware products, and ending partner programs. In addition, Broadcom is discontinuing the free version of VMware’s vSphere Hypervisor, also known as ESXi. ESXi is a bare-metal hypervisor that allows users to divide a PC’s resources among multiple virtual machines. While the free version had limitations compared to the paid enterprise versions, it was still useful for hobbyists and home users. As a result, individuals may want to consider alternative products like Proxmox or XCP-ng.
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/02/broadcom-owned-vmware-kills-the-free-version-of-esxi-virtualization-software/