Which hypervisor runs directly on the physical hardware?

The hypervisor that runs directly on the physical hardware is classified as a Type 1 hypervisor. This type of hypervisor is also known as a bare-metal hypervisor. It operates without an underlying operating system, allowing for direct management of the hardware resources. By running directly on the host machine, Type 1 hypervisors are able to provide better performance and efficiency compared to Type 2 hypervisors, which run on top of a conventional operating system and thus incur additional overhead.

Type 1 hypervisors are typically used in enterprise environments due to their ability to efficiently allocate resources, ensure higher security, and support large-scale virtualization needs. They are central to many data centers and cloud infrastructures, as they enhance capabilities for server consolidation and management.