Fujitsu Ltd, Japan's biggest IT services firm, said on Tuesday that it would allow software developers to run their programs on its hardware free of charge so that they can examine performance.

Fujitsu hopes the testing will boost sales of its computer servers, aiming to double such sales to about 10 billion yen ($114 million) by the financial year starting next April.

The testing would enable software makers to better promote their products to prospective clients such as manufacturers, a Fujitsu spokeswoman said.

Fujitsu has set up a test center and has begun working with two software developers. It hopes to have around 10 firms signed up by the year-end.

Shares of Fujitsu dropped 2 percent to 550 yen, underperforming a 1.6 percent fall in the benchmark Nikkei average.

($1=87.75 Yen)

(Reporting by Sachi Izumi in Tokyo and Gowri Jayakumar in Bangalore; Editing by Chris Gallagher)

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