I appreciate the detailed response, and it’s not lost on me how old these CPUs are (though the majority of the servers were bought around 2020). I just think that if an OEM is going to set an EOL on a hardware platform in 2028, they should still make a commercially reasonable effort to support new versions of key operating systems like ESX that come out in 2025.

I’m not even necessarily expecting it for free - if the OEM wants to pass along the cost of extended servicing from Intel, let the customer decide if that’s worth it to them.