What type of hypervisor does not require an underlying operating system?

A Type 1 hypervisor, also known as a bare-metal hypervisor, operates directly on the hardware of the host machine without the need for a separate operating system. This direct interaction with the hardware allows for greater efficiency, performance, and resource allocation, as the hypervisor manages the virtual machines (VMs) directly on the physical server. This type of hypervisor is typically used in enterprise environments where performance and resource management are critical.

In contrast, a Type 2 hypervisor runs on top of an existing operating system. This means it relies on the host OS for handling hardware interactions, which can lead to increased overhead and potentially reduced performance compared to a Type 1 hypervisor.