A bishop in the center can go to either side of the board but a bishop that is in the corner will point towards only one side. A knight in the center attacks many squares but a knight on the edge of the board doesn't. So yes, computers value the center.
Do chess engines give for more value to the centre?
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It is all about space. Engine loves to grab more space and claiming the center usually (not always) means you have more space.
Why space is that important? More limited your opponent’s space and more expanded be your space, it means you have more options to choose and perhaps more good moves, while your opponent has less choices. Especially if your pawns penetrate in the enemy’s territory, it makes the possible piece moves of your opponent more limited.
Note that premature expansion of pawns is not a good idea, since if it is easy to break your pawn structure, not only you will lose the space advantage but also you don’t have cheap defensive forces (pawns) to protect your king.
Why space is that important? More limited your opponent’s space and more expanded be your space, it means you have more options to choose and perhaps more good moves, while your opponent has less choices. Especially if your pawns penetrate in the enemy’s territory, it makes the possible piece moves of your opponent more limited.
Note that premature expansion of pawns is not a good idea, since if it is easy to break your pawn structure, not only you will lose the space advantage but also you don’t have cheap defensive forces (pawns) to protect your king.
It's often heard in chess that you should control the centre. Does that mean computers value the chess centre more in their valuation? If so how? Is a bishop attacking the centre from afar just as good as a bishop placed on the centre square?