0_3392 The interaction between light and matter is a striking example of complexity. The direct calculation of light-matter interaction in quantum biology or materials, is very cumbersome and solutions unstable. This is especially true in beyond-semiclassical regimes where the electromagnetic field and the material system must both be treated quantum mechanically. On the other hand, small, experimental light-matter devices can be programmed with a direct mapping of the dynamics to be simulated, in a similar spirit to analog quantum simulation. Such small-scale “tabletop” experiments with a few coherent quantum dots as atom analogues, and microwave resonators as light analogues, can provide a framework to predict the interplay between quantum light and matter for situations prohibitive to simulate. Additionally, as the light-matter coupling strength reaches the ultra-strong regime, it starts to become possible to modify the very nature of the light and matter degrees of freedom and this opens new avenues for studying and engineering non-perturbatively coupled light-matter.