# Semiotic Labs December 2022 Update

**URL:** https://forum.thegraph.com/t/semiotic-labs-december-2022-update/3821
**Category:** Core Team Updates
**Tags:** semiotic
**Created:** [December 16, 2022, 7:42pm UTC](https://forum.thegraph.com/t/semiotic-labs-december-2022-update/3821 "2022-12-16T19:42:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Sam](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.thegraph.com/sam/32/757_2.png) [@Sam](https://forum.thegraph.com/u/Sam)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2022, 7:42pm UTC](https://forum.thegraph.com/t/semiotic-labs-december-2022-update/3821/1 "2022-12-16T19:42:24Z")

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## 👩‍🚀 Exec summary

Below are the November highlights and December plans for [Semiotic Labs](https://semiotic.ai/). In November, we studied the market impact of our automated query pricing tool, worked toward finalizing the cryptography solution for Scalar payment channel updates, and worked toward finalizing a SNARK paper.

## 🎉 Looking back (what was delivered)

- Automated query pricing
  - We began a deeper investigation and measurement of AutoAgora’s ([GitHub](https://github.com/semiotic-ai/autoagora-agents)) impact in production. We want to understand how efficient the tool is and if/how it can be improved.

- Verifiable payments
  - Cryptography: Designed a protocol for Scalar using H2S2 (our algorithm based on [this paper](https://crypto.stanford.edu/~dabo/papers/netcode.pdf)), but a weakness was found by the end of the Core Dev winter retreat. We are working on updates to patch the vulnerability. Related, E&N is working with The Graph Foundation to establish a contract with a cryptographic assessment expert to help us identify and patch cryptographic vulnerabilities.
  - Implementation: Implemented [NCS1](https://crypto.stanford.edu/~dabo/papers/netcode.pdf) (signature primitive used by H2S2) and started work on H2S2 Rust implementation. Implemented H2S2 Verifier smart contract.

- Novel SNARK algorithm (with E&N)
  - Our Roadrunner SNARK paper was reviewed by a well-known cryptographer. That paper will be released as a preprint version soon.

## 🚀 Looking ahead (upcoming priorities)

- Automated query pricing
  - Continue investigation of AutoAgora’s impact in production.
  - AutoAgora dynamic pricing paper draft posted to arXiv. [link](https://arxiv.org/abs/2212.07942)
  - Work with GraphOps to include AutoAgora into Indexer Launchpad ([GitHub](https://github.com/graphops/launchpad-starter))

- Verifiable payments
  - Cryptography: Continue to explore cryptographic changes to H2S2 or mitigations that could be available by changing the Scalar system architecture.
  - Implementation: Start code review with E&N to prepare H2S2 “verifier” smart contract for audit. Continue work on Rust implementation.

- Novel SNARK algorithm (with E&N)
  - Incorporate reviewer’s recommendations into the paper.