Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) can now be purchased as an Oracle-branded product straight from the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) console, with first-line support from Oracle and billing by CPU-hour charged against Oracle credits. Red Hat announced it on October 19, 2026, alongside OpenShift, OpenShift Virtualization, and Ansible Automation Platform arriving on Oracle’s marketplace, plus several cross-certifications between Oracle’s databases and Red Hat’s platform.
Red Hat on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure in 30 seconds
- RHEL for OCI shows up in Oracle’s console as a first-party product, with RHEL 9 and 10 images for Intel and AMD instances.
- It’s billed by CPU-hour and can be charged entirely to Oracle Universal Credits; bring-your-own-subscription remains available too.
- OpenShift, OpenShift Virtualization, RHEL, and Ansible are sold on Oracle Marketplace.
- Oracle AI Database 26ai is certified on RHEL 8, 9, and 10; RAC and WebLogic are validated on OpenShift Virtualization.
Until now, the usual way to run RHEL on OCI was to bring your own Red Hat subscription. That option remains, but the new twist is that the operating system becomes a first-party offering in Oracle’s console: it deploys like any other cloud service, bills to the same account, and the first point of contact for support is Oracle Support, with unified escalation to Red Hat when needed. The announcement doesn’t publish hourly pricing or compare the cost against a bring-your-own subscription.
What changes in the OCI console
The RHEL 9 and RHEL 10 images arrive optimized for OCI’s fully virtualized instances with Intel and AMD processors. Red Hat mentions performance profiles tuned for Oracle, compatibility with OCI’s flexible compute shapes, integration with native cloud telemetry, and management from the OCI console, API, and command line. The announcement doesn’t mention Arm-based instances or dedicated, non-virtualized servers.
Billing is probably the change with the most practical impact. Companies with committed Oracle spend through Universal Credits can draw on RHEL against that balance at 100%, with pay-as-you-go pricing metered by Oracle CPU-hour. The same credits can be used to buy OpenShift, OpenShift Virtualization, Ansible Automation Platform, and RHEL itself as subscriptions on Oracle Marketplace. Red Hat also points to a possible future deployment on Oracle’s distributed cloud, but without a date or details, so for now that’s only an intention.
Oracle databases on top of Red Hat’s platform
The second part of the announcement runs the other way: bringing Oracle software onto Red Hat’s turf. Oracle AI Database 26ai is now certified on RHEL 8, 9, and 10. Red Hat has also validated Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC), in versions 19c and 26ai, for on-premises deployment on OpenShift Virtualization, along with Oracle WebLogic Server running on that same platform.
Validating RAC on OpenShift Virtualization matters for companies looking to leave VMware, where many Oracle databases still run as virtual machines. Gartner estimates that 55% of companies will test VMware alternatives by 2029, and having critical workloads certified on the destination platform weighs on that decision, whether the target is OpenShift or something else.
A partnership dating back to 2023
Red Hat and Oracle expanded their collaboration in September 2023 to support RHEL on OCI, and in May 2024 OpenShift became generally available on Oracle’s cloud. This announcement doesn’t add new technology so much as it reduces commercial and support friction for customers who’ve already chosen both platforms.
Kevin Kennedy, Red Hat’s vice president of its global partner ecosystem, frames it around artificial intelligence (AI): navigating the complexity of the AI era, he says, “starts with establishing a solid, flexible open hybrid cloud foundation.” Chris Sullivan, Oracle’s vice president of strategic alliances, says customers want to modernize critical infrastructure with reliability, security, and flexibility. Neither company names specific customers or adoption figures.
Frequently asked questions
What is RHEL for OCI?
It’s Red Hat Enterprise Linux offered directly by Oracle from the OCI console, with RHEL 9 and 10 images, first-line support from Oracle, and billing by CPU-hour.
Can I pay for Red Hat with Oracle Universal Credits?
Yes. RHEL for OCI can be charged 100% to Universal Credits, which also cover purchases of OpenShift, OpenShift Virtualization, Ansible, and RHEL subscriptions on Oracle Marketplace.
Can I still bring my own RHEL subscription to OCI?
Yes. Red Hat says bring-your-own-subscription options remain available alongside Oracle’s new offering.
Which Oracle products are certified on Red Hat?
Oracle AI Database 26ai is certified on RHEL 8, 9, and 10. Oracle RAC 19c and 26ai, and Oracle WebLogic Server, are validated on OpenShift Virtualization.
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