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Abstract A tidal current energy converter (TCEC) is a device specifically designed to harness the kinetic energy present in tidal energy and convert it into stable mechanical rotational energy, which can then be used to generate electricity. The core component of the TCEC is an infinitely variable transmission (IVT), which adjusts the speed ratio to maintain a stable output speed regardless of the input speed changes caused by tidal changes. In order to ensure the efficient driving performance of the IVT system, a closed-loop control strategy based on IVT state measurement data is studied in this paper. This method can effectively track the expected output speed of the IVT system in general TCEC. Based on the proposed speed control strategy, the speed regulation of the whole IVT system under different conditions is studied in theory and simulation. These promising results could directly contribute to future research to improve the efficiency of tidal energy harvesting.