Safely Driving the High-Voltage Future: Digital Isolators and Gate Drivers in Modern Power Systems

In this episode of Electronic Specifier Insights, host Paige West speaks with Aditya Ambada, Business Unit Manager for Switching Power at Diodes Incorporated, about the crucial role of digital isolators and isolated gate drivers in today’s high-voltage power systems.

Ambada explains how these devices transfer signals across an isolation barrier to keep low-voltage control electronics safely separated from high-voltage domains in applications such as industrial drives, solar inverters, EV chargers, and data center power architectures. He covers why isolation is essential for user safety, noise immunity, ground management, and system reliability, especially as bus voltages rise and switching speeds increase.

The conversation dives into the key parameters designers must consider—isolation rating, surge capability, CMTI, data rate, propagation delay, channel count, drive strength, creepage/clearance, packaging, and safety certifications such as UL, VDE, and IEC. Ambada also highlights Diodes’ robustISO™ technology, high-CMTI digital isolators, and next-generation gate drivers engineered for fast silicon carbide and GaN switches.

Looking ahead, Ambada discusses how isolation technology is evolving to support 800 V EV platforms, higher-voltage renewables, smarter grids, and increasingly intelligent, electrified systems—and why engineers should plan creepage, clearances, and isolation choices early in any high-voltage design.