Elon Musk has unveiled plans for a new artificial intelligence software company called Macrohard, describing it as a “purely AI software company.”

In a post on X dated 22 August, Musk said the name was “tongue-in-cheek” but stressed the project was “very real.”

He explained that Macrohard would replicate the functions of traditional software firms such as Microsoft, arguing that because they do not produce physical hardware, their operations could be simulated entirely by AI.

The Tesla and SpaceX chief first hinted at the venture on 14 July, when he announced plans for a “multi-agent AI software company” under his existing AI startup xAI.

At the time, he said Grok — xAI’s chatbot would spawn “hundreds of specialised coding and image/video generation/understanding agents” working in virtual machines to emulate human use of software until the result is excellent.”

He described the effort as a “macro challenge and a hard problem with stiff competition.”

Trademark filings show X.AI, LLC submitted an application for the Macrohard name on 1 August with the US Patent and Trademark Office, paying $2,300 to secure the rights across two classes. The Nevada-registered company lists its office in Palo Alto, California.

The move comes as Musk seeks to scale up xAI’s operations amid intensifying competition in the artificial intelligence sector.