No, but it works very well without.

No, it doesn't. You will typically need to add a thermal pad to conductively move heat away from the chip.

Samsung Electronics GmbH
Hello,
Thank you for your enquiry.
The Samsung 970 EVO Plus NVMe™ M.2 SSD - 1 TB MZ-V7S1T0BW has a controller with a thin layer of nickel and a drive module that is equipped with a thin heat spreader. This effectively dissipates the heat generated during operation. In addition, the Dynamic Thermal Guard function constantly monitors the drive so that optimum operating temperatures are maintained and performance can be kept constant.
As an alternative to this SSD, Samsung offers SSDs that have a heatsink. This integrated, slim heat sink effectively dissipates heat even under heavy gaming demands and can minimise sudden drops in performance due to high temperatures on most PC systems. For optimum monitoring of the SSD, including the temperature, Samsung offers you the "Samsung Magician Software", a tool that keeps you constantly informed about all the current parameters of your SSD.
You are welcome to take another look at the Samsung website under the "Computer" and "SSD" tab and choose the right SSD for you.
Best regards from Schwalbach
Your Samsung Service Team

No, a heat sink is not included in the delivery of the EVO!