The red orb mounted into its torso may be a reference to a plasma globe, also known as a tesla ball, one of Tesla's most recognizable inventions.
The shape of the monster, with the orb near its head in particular, may also reference Wardenclyffe Tower, also known as the Tesla Tower, a wireless transmission station designed and built by Tesla, which featured a tower with a spherical top.
The arc of metal suspended around the monster's midsection may be a stylized Tesla coil, an electrical resonant transformer circuit designed by Tesla.
The fact that this card was first used in the anime as a Pendulum Scale alongside "D/D Savant Thomas", based on Thomas Edison, may be a reference to the War of currents, a series of events surrounding the introduction of competing electric power transmission systems in the late 1880s and early 1890s including commercial competition, a debate over electrical safety, and a media/propaganda campaign that grew out of it. In particular, Tesla advocated for the use of alternating current, which was at odds with Edison, who supported the usage of direct current.
Tesla and Edison's enmity, partly resulting from the War of currents, is reflected in the Levels and Pendulum Scales of this card and "D/D Savant Thomas", where one card's Level is equal to the other card's Pendulum Scale, making the one card unable to Pendulum Summon the other if it is used as a Pendulum Scale.
Unlike previous "D/D Savant" cards, this card derives its name from the first name of its namesake, rather than the last name. Also, unlike previous "D/D Savant" cards, the Spanish print of this card uses a different wording in its translation ("D/D Nikola the Savant" instead of "D/D Savant Nikola").