SMART Modular Technologies has launched a family of liquid-cooled DDR2 registered DIMMs (RDIMMs) that are designed to remove heat more effectively than conventional air-cooled RDIMMs that use fans or heat sinks.

The RoHs-compliant modules are designed to work in standard blade server and high performance computing (HPC) applications with chassis fitted for closed-looped liquid cooling.

SMART's liquid-cooled CoolFlex DDR2 VLP RDIMMs are available in 2GB and 4GB densities and configured as 256Mx72 and 512Mx72. They are built with mainstream 128Mx4 devices, making them cost-effective products for HPC applications.

The ordering part numbers for the 2GB and 4GB liquid-cooled CoolFlex DDR2 VLP RDIMMs are SG572564XG8E0IL1 and SG572124XG8P0IL1, respectively.

"With these new RDIMMs, SMART directly addresses an industry-wide problem of controlling excessive, or less than optimal, operating temperatures," said Mike Rubino, SMART's Vice President of Engineering, in a statement. "By taking an innovative approach to heat removal, our new product offers multiple benefits, including better performance and improved reliability; lower operating temperature and lower power consumption; reduced footprint and reduced noise emissions; and fewer single bit errors."

Engineered using dual-die-package (DDP) technology incorporating a very low profile (VLP), SMART's liquid-cooled CoolFlex DDR2 VLP RDIMMs use a four-sided flexible printed circuit board folded over an aluminum core. SMART has integrated technology from SprayCool, Spokane, Wash., that continuously pumps an inert liquid within a closed-loop architecture.

The system consists of flexible plastic tubes that run from the manifold to the individual processors and memory modules. Specialized heat sinks distribute the liquid across the processor and through the memory modules to draw out the heat. The heated fluid from the processors and the memory modules is then returned to the thermal server, where it is processed through the heat exchanger and circulated back into the server.