Why are Type-1 hypervisors considered more efficient than Type-2 hypervisors?

Type-1 hypervisors are considered more efficient primarily because they access the physical hardware directly. This direct access allows Type-1 hypervisors to leverage the hardware's capabilities without the added layer of a host operating system, which is typically required in Type-2 hypervisors. Because there is no intermediary, Type-1 hypervisors can allocate resources more efficiently and achieve better performance metrics when running virtual machines.

This direct interaction with the hardware typically results in lower overhead and improved speed, as the hypervisor can manage hardware resources more effectively, which is particularly beneficial in environments requiring high performance, such as data centers or cloud computing.

In contrast, while allowing multiple operating systems, virtualizing network connections independently, and potentially requiring less memory can be advantages of certain hypervisors, these features do not directly address the fundamental efficiency that arises from the direct hardware access characteristic of Type-1 hypervisors. This is why the emphasis on direct hardware access is key to understanding the operational efficiency of Type-1 hypervisors compared to their Type-2 counterparts.