News: Microelectronics
16 October 2026
Power Integrations and Ideal Power collaborate on efficient, always-on solid-state circuit breakers
Power Integrations Inc of San Jose, CA, USA (which provides high-voltage integrated circuits for energy-efficient power conversion) and Ideal Power Inc (developer and provider of the B-TRAN bidirectional semiconductor power switch) are collaborating to deliver a solid-state circuit breaker (SSCB) solution providing fast, efficient, always-on protection that scales with the 800VDC transition in AI data centers.
The companies will collaborate on a new architecture combining Power Integrations’ 1700V InnoMux-2 power conversion ICs with Ideal Power’s B-TRAN switches to deliver a self-powered, intelligent, ultra-fast SSCB. They have also demonstrated a working prototype and are working on a reference design.
Rising voltages and rack power levels in AI data centers create a need for innovative approaches to circuit protection. Mechanical circuit breakers are too slow to protect sensitive rack equipment, while existing electronic breakers introduce losses, reducing system efficiency. Further, electronic breakers must be powered from the 800V bus.
In the next-generation intelligent SSCB architecture, the InnoMux-2 IC converts 800V into isolated power for gate-drive, control electronics, sensing, and auxiliary circuitry. Ideal Power’s B-TRAN switch uses that intelligence to protect the 800V power path to the AI computing load. The InnoMux-2 IC features 1700V PowiGaN technology, which can operate from an 800VDC bus with significant margin. The IC provides multiple independently regulated outputs instead of a conventional architecture with one isolated PSU followed by multiple DC–DC converters. The result is a highly efficient, self-powered protection solution that eliminates the need for an external auxiliary supply while enabling ultra-fast fault isolation.
“As AI data centers move toward 800VDC power architectures, the industry must address new challenges in power conversion, control and protection at the system level,” says Chris Jacobs, senior VP of marketing & product strategy at Power Integrations. “By combining Power Integrations’ 1700V InnoMux-2 IC with Ideal Power's innovative bidirectional solid-state circuit protection, we are helping enable intelligent 800VDC power architectures that improve efficiency, resiliency and scalability in next-generation AI data centers,” he adds.
“High efficiency, ultra-fast fault interruption is essential for enabling the migration to 800VDC AI data centers and energy infrastructure,” says Ideal Power’s CEO David Somo. “Traditional protection methods are proving to be inadequate. Mechanical breakers are too slow, while previous semiconductor-based breakers have historically been disqualified by high power loss,” he adds. “Power Integrations offers a unique combination of 1700V GaN capability, multiple independently regulated outputs, high integration, and a compact solution footprint that is well suited to our 800VDC solid-state circuit breaker architecture, which must meet demanding power efficiency requirements and strict mechanical constraints.”
Power Integrations demos first 2200V GaN technology for high-voltage power systems
Power Integrations details 1250V and 1700V PowiGaN technology for 800VDC AI data centers
