Virtually Speaking Podcast

At VMware Explore 2025, the Virtually Speaking Podcast sat down with Chris Wolf, Global Head of AI and Advanced Services at Broadcom, alongside hosts Pete Flecha and guest co-host David Linthicum, to unpack VMware’s latest Private AI announcements.

Chris details the expanded partnership with NVIDIA, including support for B200s, RTX Pro 6000s, DirectPath I/O, and pass-through capabilities, plus a new partnership with AMD to virtualize MI350 GPUs. He also breaks down how Private AI Services are now included as part of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), delivering:

• A model runtime supporting GPUs and CPUs
• A secure model store for governance
• Data indexing and retrieval services
• An agent builder service

The discussion explores why enterprises are leaning into private AI—from data privacy to economic advantages (up to 3x cost benefits) to sovereign AI requirements. Chris also introduces secure model sharing, allowing multiple tenants to use one model while keeping datasets protected.

The episode wraps with real-world customer use cases across industries, with a spotlight on strong adoption in the public sector.

Tune in for insights on how VMware is shaping the next chapter of Private AI in the cloud with VCF 9.

• A model manager for enterprise AI models
• An inferencing service supporting AMD, NVIDIA, and Intel hardware
• Flexible deployment options, including CPU-based inference

The conversation also covers Kubernetes innovations, Database-as-a-Service advancements, and new cyber compliance capabilities.

Throughout the discussion, Paul highlights three core themes driving VCF innovation:

1. Accelerated path to production
2. Private AI as a service
3. Advanced cyber compliance

Tune in for a first-hand look at the announcements shaping the future of VMware Cloud Foundation 9.

Pete Flecha and John Nicholson kick off our VMware Explore Las Vegas coverage in style, setting the stage for a week of big announcements and conversations. Filmed inside an autonomous car, the backdrop itself reflects the kind of innovation, AI, and advanced infrastructure shaping the future of technology — the same themes driving VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0.

In this episode, we break down the highlights of VCF 9.0, including Memory Tiering, vSAN Express Storage Architecture (ESA), Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs), and more — plus how these advancements are helping organizations modernize, secure, and prepare for AI.

Get ready for VMware Explore 2025 in Las Vegas! In this episode of Virtually Speaking, hosts Pete Flecha and John Nicholson are joined by Brad Tompkins, Executive Director of VMUG, to preview what attendees can expect at this year’s event.

They cover:

• The latest technical sessions and free certification opportunities for full pass holders

• VMUG activities, including their booth (#105), member reception at Wakuta, and exclusive VMUG Advantage discount (15% off with code Explore2025) for home lab access to VCF, vDefend, and Avi Load Balancer

• Pete’s upcoming session on private cloud repatriation and the Virtually Speaking podcast booth, where they’ll be interviewing experts

• The power of community connections, customer-to-PM feedback, and the all-important “hallway track”

• Fun highlights like the party at the Palazzo pool deck featuring the Honey Buckets 🎶

Whether you’re coming for the deep technical content, the networking, or the community, VMware Explore 2025 has something for everyone. We hope to see you there! 

This week on the Virtually Speaking Podcast, Pete Flecha and John Nicholson sat down with networking experts Varun Santosh and Thomas Vignon to unpack what’s new with NSX in VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0.

The conversation dives into the evolution of networking in VCF, with a spotlight on Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs)—a game-changing feature that brings public cloud-like networking to private cloud environments. Learn how VPCs simplify network deployment, enable self-service, and provide default isolation between workloads—all manageable directly from vCenter, without requiring deep networking expertise.

You’ll also hear about:

• NSX components now pre-installed on vSphere hosts in VCF 9, streamlining deployment and accelerating time to value
• Built-in workload mobility (formerly HCX), tightly integrated into the platform
• Container networking updates with Antrea
• A preview of what to expect from upcoming NSX sessions at VMware Explore

Whether you’re a VI admin, a cloud architect, or just curious about where private cloud networking is headed, this episode breaks it all down in practical, approachable terms.

In this episode of the Virtually Speaking Podcast, hosts Pete Flecha and John Nicholson are joined by Jatin Purohit and Angel Petrov to explore what’s new with APIs, SDKs, and PowerCLI in VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0. The discussion dives into major innovations designed to simplify automation and integration for VCF users, including:

• A unified VCF SDK (Python and Java) that consolidates previously separate component SDKs
• Compatibility fixes that eliminate version mismatches (especially with Java)
• The introduction of the VI JSON protocol, converting legacy SOAP APIs into a modern, REST-style experience
• Adoption of OpenAPI 3.0 across ~90% of VCF APIs for greater consistency and ease of use
• Enhanced PowerCLI modules with auto-generated cmdlets
• The first-ever API change log included in VCF release notes
• Better alignment with AI tools like GitHub Copilot for faster development

Subscribe for more insights into VMware Cloud Foundation and modern infrastructure automation.

In this episode of the Virtually Speaking Podcast, hosts Pete Flecha and John Nicholson sit down with Raakhee Mistry from VMware Cloud Foundation and field CTO Mitesh Pancholy to discuss why many organizations are hitting the reset button on their cloud strategies.

Drawing from the new Private Cloud Outlook 2025 study—based on insights from 1,800 global IT leaders—the conversation explores a major trend: private cloud is making a comeback, with 53% of respondents prioritizing private cloud investments alongside public cloud.

Key drivers behind this shift include:
 • Rising security and compliance demands
 • The need for data sovereignty to support AI initiatives
 • A push for cost predictability
 • And a significant wave of cloud repatriation, with 69% moving workloads back on-prem

Mitesh shares Broadcom’s private cloud journey, highlighting how platform teams, self-service infrastructure, and upskilling initiatives are transforming IT delivery and enabling faster innovation.

The takeaway? The future is hybrid. With 92% of organizations embracing a mix of public and private cloud, this reset isn’t about abandoning public cloud—it’s about building a smarter, more balanced strategy.

In this episode of Virtually Speaking, Pete Flecha and John Nicholson are joined by VMware legend Cormac Hogan to unpack everything you need to know about Data Services Manager (DSM). They explore how DSM delivers on-premises database services for platforms like PostgreSQL and MySQL—while solving a big problem for VI admins: database sprawl.

Cormac explains how DSM gives vSphere admins control over database infrastructure, simplifies lifecycle management for DBAs, and empowers developers with self-service access—all through a unified platform. The crew also breaks down what’s new in DSM 9 and VCF 9, including multi-tenancy, vSphere namespace integration, and a technical preview of SQL Server support.

They share real-world insight into how Broadcom is using DSM to consolidate database services across their organization, and how DSM’s scaling capabilities help meet the demands of modern, dynamic workloads. If you’re curious about what “Database-as-a-Service” really looks like in a VMware Cloud Foundation environment, this episode is for you.

In this episode of Virtually Speaking, hosts Pete Flecha and John Nicholson are joined by Harshad Colte and Feidhlim O’Leary to break down the latest vSphere enhancements in VMware Cloud Foundation 9.

They explore how vSphere is evolving to support both traditional VM workloads and modern container-based applications—all while improving operational efficiency, scalability, and security.

Highlights include:

• NVMe memory tiering for higher VM density

• Dramatically reduced vMotion stun times for GPU-enabled VMs

• A new vCenter registration model through VCF Operations (replacing Enhanced Linked Mode)

• Flexible Kubernetes lifecycle management decoupled from vCenter patching

• Live patching for faster, disruption-free security updates

• VLCM support for mixed hardware clusters

• Native VPC integration, TLS 1.3 by default, and smarter certificate handling

If you’re looking to understand how vSphere fits into the future of cloud-smart infrastructure, this episode is a must-listen.

In this episode, Pete Flecha and John Nicholson are joined by Pete Koehler to dive into the latest vSAN innovations in VMware Cloud Foundation 9. They explore key updates like global deduplication, improved network traffic separation, vSAN-to-vSAN replication with VMware Live Recovery, and stretch cluster enhancements.

From boosting performance and efficiency to simplifying disaster recovery and fleet-wide observability, this conversation highlights how vSAN is evolving to support modern private cloud operations at scale.