Leading augmented Reality (AR) platform Layar receives $14 million in funding from Intel Capital, together with Sunstone Capital and Prime Ventures.

The sum will be utilized to propel their branding and research for content usage of AR. Both content creators and ordinary daily users will be empowered and be able to discover opportunities within the Layar’s AR platform.

Currently, Layar products include a reality browser used as mobile applications for iPhone, Android and Bada devices, a player or free software that enables a user to ember AR into any mobile applications, and a platform that serves as the milieu for AR experimentation and researches.

The funding notes its place in the mobile scene, which is really taking kindly to developer encouragement lately.  Augmented reality in particular is building its developer tools to incur more activity, as it carries a great deal of potential for countless browser apps, and especially games.  Qualcomm, too, is building its AR platform.

Raimo van der Klein, who co-founded Layar with Claire Boonstra and Maarten Lens-FitzGerald, said:  “At Layar, we’re constantly looking for more ways to bring impactful augmented reality experiences into people’s everyday lives and this investment from Intel Capital is another step towards expanding that goal. Augmented reality provides the richest experience on the mobile phone – an experience as unlimited as our own imaginations. This funding will help make these vast opportunities with AR a reality by providing our large ecosystem of content creators with the tools to build compelling and useful content.”

“Augmented reality is a disruptive technology that blends reality with digital information, which enriches applications like the ones developed on the Layar platform,” said Marcos Battisti, Intel Capital’s Managing Director for Western Europe and Israel. “Intel Capital is committed to bringing the technology of the future into people’s everyday lives by investing in companies that have the formula to inspire, learn and create. We are truly excited about the future evolutions in this field.

Augmented Reality has already gained solid following and suddenly become a key player in the mobile industry.  A report posted in SiliconAngle last February noted the huge potential of AR within the communications and innovations market. Today, it has been widely used by top Android phones and iPhone.

Intel Capital announced a $77 million fund for startups at the Web 2.0 Summit yesterday, investing in Layar, Yummly and others.