BEA Systems is expected to detail a plan next week to speed its version of Java for servers by letting the software run directly on processors.

Java, invented by Sun Microsystems 10 years ago, is a layer of software that lets programs run on different computers without having to be adapted for each one. Making software portable in this way is useful, but Java comes with a performance penalty.

Sources familiar with the company`s plans said BEA will announce at the JavaOne trade show that it`s working on a version of JRockit--its virtual machine software that runs Java programs--that runs directly on a computer`s hardware. In contrast, most Java today runs on an operating system such as Windows, Linux or Solaris.

Likely processors BEA could support include Intel`s Xeon, IBM`s Power and Sun`s Sparc, one source said.

BEA is one of the leading companies in the market for Java on servers. Its chief competitor is IBM, but open-source efforts such as JBoss also are catching on.

BEA isn`t the only one to try to give Java hardware help. Sun was the first, launching but eventually canceling a Java processor called PicoJava. Next came a chips to speed Java in cell phones--products from companies such as ARM Holdings that made it to market.

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Most recently, start-up Azul Systems has begun selling special-purpose servers for as much as $800,000. They`re packed with customized chips that provide a centralized pool of processing power for executing Java programs; the company emphasizes the flexibility of its approach rather than performance.

BEA also is expected to disclose at the show a strategy that embraces virtualization, a technology that can make a computing infrastructure more flexible and efficient by breaking the tight link between hardware and software.