Micro Virtual Machines

Micro Virtual Machines (µVMs) are presented as a significant evolution in virtualization technology, designed to offer a balance between the robust security and isolation of traditional Virtual Machines (VMs) and the efficiency and agility of containers. They achieve this balance through several key characteristics: a minimalist design that includes only essential components to reduce the attack surface, ultra-rapid startup times measured in milliseconds, unlike the seconds or minutes traditional VMs require, and a minimal memory footprint, typically only a few megabytes per instance. For example, technologies like Firecracker can start application code in less than 125 ms and use less than 5 MiB of memory per instance. Crucially, µVMs provide strong isolation based on hardware, leveraging modern processor virtualization extensions (like Intel VT-x or AMD-V). This allows each µVM instance to run its own independent kernel, separate from the host and other µVMs, offering superior security compared to containers that share the host kernel and preventing privilege escalations or “escape” attacks. This combination of minimal overhead, rapid startup, and hardware isolation positions µVMs as a lightweight, secure, and efficient virtualization option. Technologies mentioned as forming the basis for such platforms include Firecracker, Kata Containers and QEMU microvm virtual platform.

The sources position µVMs as a foundational technology for addressing critical challenges and enabling innovation in 5G, Edge computing, and Internet of Things (IoT) sectors. For 5G telecom companies, µVMs can optimize Network Function Virtualization (NFV) by providing better isolation and performance for Virtualized Network Functions (VNFs), enhancing security and resource utilization. They are also crucial for robust and secure network slicing, allowing network slices or their components to run in dedicated µVMs with hardware-level isolation to prevent interference and improve security. In Edge computing, µVMs facilitate secure and efficient multi-tenancy by offering hardware-level isolation per tenant on shared infrastructure, preventing cross-tenant breaches. Their minimal resource requirements are ideal for optimizing performance on resource-constrained edge devices, and rapid startup supports fast deployment and massive scalability across distributed nodes. For IoT projects, µVMs offer integral security for the ecosystem by isolating applications, data flows, or connections on gateways and devices, and enable efficient and secure processing of IoT data at the edge. The overall value proposition lies in providing computing services that are inherently secure, efficient, and agile, directly addressing the needs of these dynamic markets and enabling new applications and services that were previously difficult or too risky. This includes benefits like reduced security risks, cost optimization through better resource utilization, accelerated innovation with agile deployment, and improved performance.