Why a Provider-Neutral VM API Matters for Kubernetes

Broadcom has contributed the VM API, an open-source project that manages virtual machines (VMs) via Kubernetes APIs, to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) Sandbox. This initiative aims to create a provider-neutral method for managing VM lifecycle, allowing infrastructure and platform teams to handle VMs and containers using the same Kubernetes APIs and declarative workflows.

The VM API enables VM provisioning and management through Kubernetes APIs, ensuring seamless integration into the same declarative infrastructure model used for containerized workloads.

Initially known as VM Operator, the project will transition into a provider-neutral Kubernetes API for virtualized infrastructure. Its design separates common VM lifecycle operations, like provisioning, resizing, and deletion, from infrastructure-specific implementations. This enables infrastructure providers to support a unified Kubernetes-native API while maintaining their unique platform capabilities.

This is crucial for platform administrators managing mixed environments of containers and VMs, as today's organizations frequently operate VMs and containers side by side but often require different tools, APIs, and workflows based on the underlying infrastructure.

By integrating the VM API into the CNCF Sandbox, Broadcom seeks to foster a community-driven API and operational model for VMs, encouraging broader industry involvement. This will help shape the API specifications through diverse deployment models and use cases, leading to a more unified and vendor-neutral governance structure. As the project progresses, contributors from the entire ecosystem will have chances to influence its development, APIs, and future direction.

For platform engineers creating internal platforms, a provider-neutral VM API enhances flexibility, as specifications developed through open, multi-stakeholder governance are more likely to gain support across various tooling and infrastructure providers. This reduces integration costs for teams standardizing VM operations on Kubernetes.

The timing aligns with current VM usage patterns. According to a Linux Foundation survey of 492 practitioners conducted in September 2026, virtual machines still constitute the majority of production workloads, with 53% of organizations running VMs for 50% or more of their applications. Only 10% of organizations run no production VMs, while 23% run 90% or more.

This indicates that most environments operate a mix of VMs and containers rather than standardizing on a single workload type. Additionally, the survey highlights the growing convergence between VM and container operations: 61% of respondents report collaborative or fully integrated VM and container teams, and 8% are already running VMs on Kubernetes using KubeVirt.

Emerging AI workloads, such as AI and agentic workloads, are also driving demand for VMs, with 34% of organizations expanding their VM footprint as a growth strategy, alongside planned adoption of MicroVM sandboxing (20% to 30%) and confidential computing (12% to 26%) for added isolation. These insights underscore an evolving infrastructure landscape where virtual machines and containers continue to coexist, platform teams increasingly work across traditional operational boundaries, and new requirements for isolation and flexibility arise from these AI workloads.

By introducing the VM API to the CNCF Sandbox, Broadcom aims to establish a common Kubernetes-native approach to VM management, paving the way for broader industry participation, reduced fragmentation, and support for diverse infrastructure environments.