Is Nvidia Blunting Intuitive Surgical's Edge in Robotic Surgery?

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG -0.29%) has the clear lead in robotic-assisted surgery. The company got approval for its da Vinci surgery system back in 2000. With more than two decades of research, development, and real-world use under its belt, competitors have an uphill battle if they want to catch up with Intuitive's technology.

That is unless Nvidia (NVDA -0.36%) provides some help. The chip designer and AI specialist revealed during its GPU Technology Conference (GTC) this week that many start-ups are tapping into its platform to accelerate development of their robotic surgery systems. Did Nvidia just deal a serious blow to Intuitive Surgical's ability to stay in the lead?