Unable to install macOS 13 Ventura as Guest OS on ESXi 7.0 U3

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

• When attempting to create a new VM in vSphere 7.0 U3 with macOS 13 Ventura as the Guest OS, the VM will display an error message and the VM will continuously reboot. 
• This includes a fresh installation or an upgrade from a previous version of macOS (or OS X).
  
  

Environment

ESXi 7.0 U3 running on Apple Hardware

Cause

While ESXi 7.0 U3 is supported on some Apple Hardware, macOS 13 Ventura requires certain CPU instruction sets that are not present in models with older CPUs. macOS Ventura drops support for pre-Haswell CPUs as they do not contain the AVX2 instruction set.

Models include: 

• iMac17,x and older
• Macmini7,1 and older
• MacBook9,1 and older
• MacBookAir7,x and older
• MacBookPro13,x and older
• MacPro6,1 and older

Resolution

Additional validation is required to determine the latest supported macOS available to be installed as a VM. This includes validating that the Apple hardware will run ESXi but also validating that the Apple hardware is compatible with the intended GuestOS.

Additional Information

macOS Ventura is compatible with these computers - Apple Support

Broadcom Compatibility Guide