Superconducting circuits are one of the most promising platforms for realizing quantum computation and quantum simulation schemes. Today such quantum computing architectures are typically composed out of i) superconducting qubits with a non-linear Josephson element to create isolated two-level systems and to implement gates, and ii) harmonic microwave resonators, which can be used for readout, to couple distant qubits. In this project we will explore an unconventional new approach for designing complex superconducting circuits by considering multi-qubit circuit QED systems in the so-called ultrastrong coupling (USC) regime, where a clear separation between qubit- and photonic degrees of freedom is no longer possible. In particular, we will demonstrate that this approach can be used for new types of quantum chemistry simulations with a quantized reaction coordinate.