A three‐phase three‐level VIENNA rectifier has been widely used in the data center DC power supply and AC/DC hybrid power supply system with the advantages of without dead‐time, low switch voltage stress and small grid‐current harmonic. However, the performance of grid current strongly depends on the controller parameter, and the unreasonable controller parameter may deteriorate the grid current. To effectively improve the static and dynamic performance of grid current, a new kind of carrier‐based pulse width modulation scheme based on the double closed‐loop discrete sliding mode strategy is put forward. Further, a modified exponential reaching law is presented to effectively improve the shaking shock effect caused by the traditional sliding mode surface and the neutral voltage dc wave suppression strategy is then presented. To verify the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed sliding mode control strategy, a complete simulation model and experimental prototype platform under the digital control is established, the detailed theoretical analysis and design method of the proposed control strategy are presented. The simulation and experimental results show that the steady and the transient performance of the grid current with the proposed control strategy are effectively improved, and the neutral voltage in dc side is kept balanced at the same time. © 2020 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.