{"id":35069,"date":"2026-09-17T09:30:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T09:30:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.xj-ic.com\/?p=35069"},"modified":"2026-09-17T09:30:59","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T09:30:59","slug":"behind-the-scenes-contributor-in-the-wave-of-ai-computing-power-the-key-application-and-evolution-of-optocoupler-relays-in-hardware-architecture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.xj-ic.com\/zh\/behind-the-scenes-contributor-in-the-wave-of-ai-computing-power-the-key-application-and-evolution-of-optocoupler-relays-in-hardware-architecture","title":{"rendered":"Behind-the-scenes contributor in the wave of AI computing power: The key application and evolution of optocoupler relays in hardware architecture"},"content":{"rendered":"

The key contributor behind the wave of AI computing power: the critical application and evolution of optocoupler relays in hardware architecture
\nWith the explosive growth of generative artificial intelligence, large language models, and edge computing, the global demand for high-computing-power data centers and hardware infrastructure has reached an unprecedented peak. Behind AI servers, high-density GPU\/NPU computing boards, and high-efficiency power supply units (PSUs), in addition to the widely-cited high-bandwidth memory (HBM), advanced packaging chips, and optical modules, a series of highly reliable basic electronic components also play a crucial and irreplaceable role. Among them, the optocoupler relay (PhotoMOS\/SolidStateRelay, a solid-state relay based on the principle of optoelectronic coupling), as a core component for high and low voltage isolation and precise signal control, is playing a dual role of “security guard” and “precise switch” in AI hardware architecture.
\nOptocoupler relays, which have been widely used in industrial control, automated test equipment (ATE), and medical instruments in the past, exhibit irreplaceable unique advantages in the flood of AI computing power hardware upgrades, thanks to their mechanical contact-free design, long lifespan, extremely low on-resistance, high isolation voltage, and millisecond\/microsecond response speed.
\n1. The natural fit between the technical characteristics of optocoupler relays and the hardware requirements of computing power
\nOptocoupler relays are typically integrated and packaged with light-emitting diodes (LEDs), photodiode arrays (PDAs), and bidirectional power MOSFET chips. Compared to traditional photocouplers or electromagnetic relays (EMRs), they possess several decisive technical characteristics that precisely meet the stringent requirements for stability and high density imposed by modern AI computing hardware:
\nHigh electrical isolation and voltage withstand safety: Computing servers typically feature high-voltage power supply systems (such as 48V\/400V DC buses) and low-voltage logic control circuits (3.3V\/1.8V and below) inside. Optocoupler relays can provide highly reliable isolation of thousands of volts (typically 1500Vrms to 5000Vrms) on both sides, effectively preventing high-voltage side pulses or surges from breaking down the core control chip.
\nZero mechanical wear and ultra-high reliability: AI servers often need to maintain uninterrupted high-load operation 24\/7. Traditional electromagnetic relays suffer from issues such as contact oxidation, adhesion, and mechanical fatigue. However, optocoupler relays have no mechanical contacts inside, with a theoretically unlimited lifespan, significantly reducing maintenance costs and downtime risks for computing clusters.
\nExtremely low on-resistance and low power consumption: The on-resistance (R_on) of the new generation of optocoupler relays can be as low as milliohms (m\u03a9), which results in minimal heat loss when transmitting signals or controlling small currents. This helps improve overall power efficiency and mitigate the significant heat generated inside servers.
\nUltra-small size and high integration: As the internal space of AI servers is squeezed extremely tight by GPUs, cooling ducts, and liquid cooling pipelines, optocoupler relays can exist in chip-scale packaging forms such as SOP, SSOP, and even DFN, greatly saving PCB board space and conforming to the development trend of high-density wiring on boards.
\nII. Four core application scenarios of optocoupler relays in AI computing power and hardware
\n1. AI server power management system (PSU & PDU) and high voltage protection
\nThe power consumption of AI computing chips (such as high-performance GPUs\/ASICs) is rapidly soaring towards hundreds of watts or even kilowatts, posing extremely high demands on the power supply units (PSUs) and rack-level power distribution units (PDUs) of AI servers.
\nHigh-voltage startup and discharge control: In high-power Titanium\/Ultra Titanium server power supplies, optocoupler relays are commonly used for auxiliary startup of the main power stage circuit, capacitor fast discharge circuits, and anti-surge control. For example, when the power supply is powered off or shut down, the optocoupler relay can instantly turn on the discharge circuit, ensuring personnel maintenance safety and rapid equipment reset.
\nHigh-voltage detection and circuit switching: As the power supply architecture of data centers evolves towards 48V or even 400V direct current (HVDC), optocoupler relays are utilized for state sampling of high-voltage buses, fault isolation, and parallel switching control among multiple power modules, enabling dynamic scheduling of the power system.
\n2. Liquid cooling system and intelligent heat dissipation hardware control
\nFacing the challenge of high heat density in AI that traditional air cooling struggles to handle, immersed liquid cooling and cold plate liquid cooling are becoming standard configurations in computing centers. Optocoupler relays play a crucial role in the monitoring and execution units of liquid cooling hardware:
\nValve and pump logic control: The submerged liquid cooling system is equipped with a large number of cooling liquid circulation pumps, solenoid valves, and electrode monitoring circuits. Optocoupler relays, with their excellent isolation capabilities, are used to control the switching of low-power valves and the enable signals of pumps, preventing electrical short-circuit accidents caused by static electricity or moisture in the cooling liquid.
\nTemperature control sensor signal isolation and routing: High-precision temperature sensors are densely distributed around the computing board card. Optocoupler relays can serve as main switches for the sensor signal paths, enabling noise-free switching and isolated acquisition among multiple sensors, thereby enhancing the feedback accuracy of the temperature control system.
\n3. Hot plugging and safety monitoring of GPU\/NPU computing boards and systems
\nIn supercomputing centers and AI clusters, the “maintainability” and “hot-swappable” capabilities of hardware modules are crucial for maintaining high system availability.
\nHot-Plug control circuit: When an AI accelerator card or server node is plugged in or out while powered on, it is extremely prone to generating large surge currents and arcs. Optocoupler relays can be used to control the pre-charging circuit and the main path enable signal, ensuring a smooth voltage transition at the moment of card insertion and protecting the fragile system bus.
\nHardware-level Fault Isolation: When a GPU node experiences abnormal conditions such as overcurrent, overtemperature, or short circuit, the monitoring circuit can disconnect the control signal or power supply enablement of the faulty area at a microsecond level through an optocoupler relay, preventing the fault from spreading to the entire computing cluster.
\n4. AI hardware automatic test equipment (ATE)
\nDuring the production and factory testing stages of AI chips and server boards, automated test equipment (ATE) is required to conduct extremely rigorous electrical characteristic tests on every pin of the chip.
\nHigh-density test matrix switch: Optocoupler relays exhibit extremely low off-state leakage and parasitic capacitance, enabling precise control over the conduction and disconnection of high-frequency or weak signals. In AI chip test fixtures, hundreds or even thousands of optocoupler relays form a switch matrix, facilitating rapid switching of test channels and high-precision parameter measurement.
\nIII. Future Development Trends and Challenges
\nAs AI hardware evolves towards higher power density, higher speed, and smaller physical size, optocoupler relays used in computing hardware are also undergoing a series of technological innovations:
\nBalancing Lower On-Resistance and Higher Voltage Resistance: The adoption of third-generation semiconductor materials, such as gallium nitride (GaN) or silicon carbide (SiC), as the output switch transistors within optocoupler relays has emerged as a new research and development hotspot in the industry. This approach will further reduce on-resistance and enhance maximum voltage resistance, thereby adapting to higher voltage levels in data center power supply architectures.
\nHigher-level integration and multi-channelization: Manufacturers are striving to integrate dual-channel or even quad-channel optocoupler relays within a single micro-package, and embed over-current protection (OCP) or self-recovery functions internally, in order to adapt to the increasingly valuable wiring space on PCB boards.
\nStronger high-current carrying capacity: Traditional surface-mount optocoupler relays are mostly used in microampere to ampere-level control circuits, while “high-current solid-state relays” specifically designed for high-power computing power supplies are constantly pushing the limits of heat dissipation and packaging to carry sustained currents of tens of amperes.
\nConclusion:
\nToday, as the competition for AI computing power intensifies, the industry often focuses on more advanced manufacturing processes, larger transistor counts, and faster transmission bandwidths. However, it is the robust and secure foundation built by basic components such as optocoupler relays that ensures the stable operation of all this powerful computing power. With its excellent electrical isolation, zero-wear lifespan, and efficient control capabilities, the optocoupler relay has moved from behind the scenes to the forefront, becoming an indispensable core security link in AI hardware system design. As the computing infrastructure continues to upgrade, technological innovation in optocoupler relays will also continue to safeguard efficiency and security in the AI era.
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