Jan 13 (Reuters) - OpenAI on Monday laid out its vision

for artificial intelligence development in the U.S., saying the

country needs outside investment and supportive regulation to

stay ahead of China in the race for the nascent technology.

"Chips, data and energy are the keys to winning AI" and the

U.S. needs to act now to craft nationwide rules that can help

secure its advantage, the AI startup said in a 15-page document

called its "Economic Blueprint".

The move comes just days before President-elect Donald Trump

takes office, bringing with him an administration that is widely

expected to be more friendly to the tech industry with former

PayPal executive David Sacks as its AI and crypto czar.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also donated around $1 million to

Trump's inaugural fund, making him one of the several executives

looking to improve their ties with Trump.

"There's an estimated $175 billion sitting in global funds

awaiting investment in AI projects, and if the U.S. doesn't

attract those funds, they will flow to China-backed projects

-strengthening the Chinese Communist Party's global influence,"

OpenAI said in the document.

It also outlined proposals for export controls on AI models,

which it said should be out of the reach of adversary nations

that may be more likely to misuse the technology.

The startup plans to host an event in Washington D.C. later

this month to discuss its proposals.

Microsoft ( MSFT )-backed OpenAI has been looking to drum up support

for its plan to turn into a for-profit business as it looks to

capture even more funding to stay ahead in the costly AI race,

after raising $6.6 billion last year.