Hi experts, sorry if this is an obvious question.

As per question, does ESXi secure boot specifically require a TPM chip? I kind of think the answer is no, but i can't definitively find an answer to this. The documentation talks about being able to securely store the private key in a TPM chip, but doesn't make clear if the it is an absolute requirement?

My suspicion is that the private key may otherwise be stored in an NVRAM part of the UEFI chip, and that the TPM is simply a more secure alternative, but i can't validate this. Can anyone confirm? 

Many Thanks