You can run intel software in docker containers pretty easily. It just uses qemu for everything inside the intel guest container.While there are eumlators like QEMU, the performance for whole-os operation is so bad as to be essentially useless.
Virtualization engines will require ARM based guests. Note that those guests will not run Intel software, except for Windows 11 which as a rosetta-like capability built in - linux guests will not run intel software. Parallels and Fusion are the two options. Right now Parallels has much better windows 11 arm support, but they do some sketchy things license-wise (e.g. they're getting install media from somewhere that's not disclosed). Fusion is perfectly fine for ARM though.
If you really do need an intel guest, then you need to run an intel host. There's no other realistic option.
Also Apple has enabled extending Rosetta to emulated guests but I don’t know if any emulation platforms I.e. parallels or virtualbox support this yet.
As a one-off, the docker solution is fine. For long term needs to run amd64 software, yeah amd64 hardware is OP’s best bet.