The Linux Foundation to Host the Cloud Hypervisor Project

By Jack Wallen

The Cloud Hypervisor Project will create a high-performing, lightweight virtual machine monitor for modern cloud workloads.

Backed by several powerhouses in the tech industry, The Linux Foundation is set to release a virtual machine monitor specific for modern cloud workloads. The Cloud Hypervisor virtual machine monitor will be written in Rust, focus on security, and will be capable of monitoring CPU, memory, device hot plug, will be able to monitor both Linux and Windows guests with a minimal footprint, and will be able to perform device offload with vhost-user.

The backers of this new platform include Alibaba, ARM, Intel, and Microsoft. According to Arjan van de Ven, Fellow at Intel, “Cloud Hypervisor has grown to the point of moving to the neutral governance of The Linux Foundation." He continues, “We created the project to provide a more secure and updated VMM to optimize for modern cloud workloads. With fewer device models and a modern, more secure language, Cloud Hypervisor offers security and performance-optimized for today’s cloud needs.”

Of the new project, Gerry Liu, Senior Staff Engineer at Alibaba, said, "Cloud Hypervisor is a great innovation project and evolves rapidly. Moving it to Linux Foundation will help to build a stronger community and speed up the adoption."

Find out more from the official Linux Foundation announcement.