Johnson & Johnson MedTech Partners with Nvidia to Bring AI-Powered Simulation to Surgical Robotics

Johnson & Johnson MedTech has announced a strategic partnership with Nvidia to integrate artificial intelligence into its surgical robotics platform, marking a major step toward more intelligent, simulation-driven surgery.

Under the collaboration, J&J will leverage Nvidia’s Isaac for Healthcare—a specialized framework for medical robotics—to develop digital twins of surgical procedures and operating room environments. These digital simulations will be used to refine and test the company’s Monarch Platform for Urology, which is set to become commercially available in the United States in 2026.

Advancing the Monarch Platform for Urology

The Monarch system, originally designed for bronchoscopy procedures, received FDA clearance in 2022 for a urology indication, enabling its use in kidney stone surgeries. J&J’s next step is to use Nvidia’s advanced simulation tools to model complex anatomical environments and clinical scenarios before real-world procedures.

Through AI-driven simulation and synthetic data generation, J&J’s R&D teams can now model how the Monarch robot behaves inside the human body and within a surgical setting. This allows for rapid testing of new features, enhanced precision during development, and better preparation for clinical teams before procedures.

Transforming Surgical Training and Planning

Virtual operating rooms created through Nvidia’s technology will allow surgeons to simulate entire procedures before stepping into the OR. These simulations will help optimize system setup, improve procedural planning, and accelerate training for new users of the Monarch platform.

Part of a Growing Wave of AI Partnerships in MedTech

The Johnson & Johnson–Nvidia collaboration is part of a broader trend across the medical technology industry. Nvidia has recently announced partnerships with Philips to enhance MRI models, GE Healthcare to develop autonomous imaging solutions, and Illumina to support genomic data analysis.

In a parallel initiative, Verily, Alphabet’s precision health company, has also entered into a new agreement with Nvidia. Verily plans to integrate Nvidia’s AI capabilities into its Pre platform, which is widely used to accelerate healthcare and life sciences research. The collaboration will also enhance analyses for the NIH’s All of Us Researcher Workbench, a massive genomics data platform supporting nearly 20,000 researchers worldwide through Verily’s partnership with Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Financial terms of both Johnson & Johnson’s and Verily’s deals with Nvidia were not disclosed.