VM power on or migration fails due to processor TDP level frequency throttling

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

• When attempting to power on or migrate virtual machines via vMotion, the task fails with errors indicating insufficient CPU resources. This occurs specifically when the physical host processor is configured with a Thermal Design Power (TDP) level of L1 or L2.
• ESXi host CPU frequency drops from a base of Current value  to a lower value.
• VMs with CPU reservations fail to initialize.

Environment

ESX 7.x
ESX 8.x
ESX 9.x

Cause

Physical CPU frequency throttling enforced by BIOS/UEFI TDP L1 or L2 settings reduces available MHz below the VM's configured reservation threshold.

Resolution

• Reboot the affected ESXi host and enter the BIOS/System Setup.
• Navigate to Processor Settings or Advanced Power Management.
• Locate the Configurable TDP (or Intel Speed Select) setting.
• Change the value from L1 or L2 back to Normal.
• Save settings and exit BIOS.
• Once the host has booted, verify the clock speed in the vSphere Client under Host > Summary > Hardware > CPU shows the expected base frequency.
• Retry the VM power-on or migration task.