80V Hot Swap Controller with Precision Multi-Level Overcurrent: Protection for Dynamic AI Workloads

As power demands in data centers continue to escalate, modular systems such as power distribution boards, servers and add-in cards increasingly rely on hot swap capability to improve the scalability and also the operational efficiency by replacing faulty modules without interrupting operation, minimizing downtime, and maintenance costs.

AI workloads, with their wide and highly dynamic current surges, present a tough challenge for hot swap controllers. Traditional hot swap controllers with only a single level of overcurrent protection (OCP) often struggle to differentiate between genuine faults and normal transient peaks, leading to false shutdowns or missed faults that threaten system stability.

The Richtek RTQ1954 80V hot swap controller is designed to meet these demands. Its multi-level OCP architecture precisely identifies short current pulses, repetitive overloads and sustained soft shorts, delivering robust protection for high-power systems with wide dynamic loads.

1. Four-Level OCP：Start-up inrush current protection (OCP1), adjustable steady-state overcurrent protection (OCP2), dynamic pulse current protection (OCP3), and a fast-response circuit breaker (CB) cover all load scenarios.
2. Non-accumulative Timer： Digital and analog OCP timers prevent accumulative false trips under repetitive high-duty-cycle pulses.
3. Soft Short Detection：Four adjustable thresholds ensure even high-impedance sustained soft shorts are detected and managed.
4. Streamlined Thermal Design ：Allows steady state system thermal design including external MOSFETs be based on actual DC power rather than elevated fault thresholds, reducing component count and cost.

With CPU/GPU power levels rising rapidly, thermal design for hot swap controllers can be optimized around the average DC load. The RTQ1954 complements this by providing comprehensive protection across a wide range of overcurrent conditions, enabling power system designs that combine high performance with robust reliability.