The application of an electron‐beam controlled diffuse discharge to high‐power (>109W), repetitive opening switches is analytically formulated under a set of assumptions. Basic physics considerations are combined with energy transfer requirements to obtain analytical estimates of thee‐beam controlled switch parameters for given circuit requirements. The switch design is optimized by minimizing the switch pressure subject to the constraint of system efficiency. The result of this optimization is that each of the major energy losses—conduction, opening, and electron‐beam production—are roughly equal to each other. This formulation is used to relate the switch parameters to the desired operating characteristics for an arbitrary number of pulses. As an example, the formalism is utilized in outlining the design of a single pulse, high‐power (&bartil;1010W) inductive storage system. A judicious choice of gas or gas mixture results in desirable changes in the system design or efficiency.