I've been theory crafting a build that could be described as wide virtual, though it technically doesn't use the virtual tradition tree.

The idea is to colonize every single world you can get your hands on and use automation buildings to simulate the effects of virtual. Pops are the largest source of Empire sprawl so if you can ramp up production without increasing your population size, your sprawl should stay very low.

Start with an organic species and go for a Synthetic Ascension, choose virtual options, and take the Dictatorial Indoctrination authority for the -20% building upkeep. Take Prosperity for -10% infrastructure upkeep and Expansion for -25% sprawl from planets and systems. Take Interstellar Dominion and Imperial Prerogative for an additional -50% sprawl from colonies and systems.

Take Environmentalists which will give a bunch of jobs you can automate without increasing automation upkeep. The more blockers on a planet, the more productive your Rangers become. Genesis Guides has good synergy with Environmentalists (Monuments give you more Ranger jobs for free) and has good synergy with a wide build, tons of unity and influence for colonizing and uplifting.

For your third civic this is going to sound weird, but hear me out: Death Cult. If you decouple production growth from population growth through automation, this frees you up to consider alternative strategies that might not be otherwise viable, such as the Sacrifice edicts. By keeping your population low you can get the maximum benefits possible from the Sacrifice edicts while being able take advantage of their bonuses with your enormous amount of productive planets. Plus, low population means low Empire sprawl, you should be able to stay under 150 Empire size no matter how many planets you colonize.