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Intel has confirmed what local media have been murmuring about for the past two months: the company plans to invest $6 billion to $8 billion in new or existing facilities.

During a press event being held this morning in Hillsboro, the company will discuss its plan to build a new fabrication facility and conduct upgrades on two existing fabrication facilities in Oregon. Two existing fabrication plants in Arizona also will be upgraded.

The new Oregon facility, to be named D1X, is a building the company has been considering planning for several years, according to a statement released by Intel. The plant will produce Intel’s next generation of 22-nanometer microprocessors.

Although the company hasn’t yet said when construction on the new plant will begin, its research and development capacity is expected to be ready by 2013.

The projects are expected to create between 6,000 and 8,000 construction jobs. Once the facility is operating at full capacity, it will spawn 800 to 1,000 new permanent jobs, according to Intel.

This story will be updated as information becomes available. Reporter Nick Bjork also is tweeting from this morning’s press event. Readers can follow his tweets