SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY

Alpha Microsystems, a Santa Ana computer manufacturer, is the first computer company to announce deliveries of a machine using a new, high-speed Motorola computer chip.

Earlier this month, Alpha began shipments of its AM-3080 computers using Motorola’s 68030 processor. The new computer is designed for large businesses and sells for $40,000 to $245,000.

Other computer companies have announced machines using the Motorola chip, but Alpha said it is the first company to begin delivering such a system.

The AM-3080 is the most powerful machine in Alpha’s computer product line and is twice as fast as the company’s AM-2000 system, Alpha officials said.

Separately, the computer maker said its net income for its fiscal third quarter was $493,000, contrasted with a net loss of $383,000 in the year-earlier period. However, the firm reported that its sales declined slightly to $11.9 million, from $12 million a year ago.