Errors when downloading a large OSM file from Overpass API

I have been experiencing difficulty when trying to download a 2 GB OSM file from the slippy map at https://www.openstreetmap.org. The usual link message appears in the bottom left-hand side of the screen after I make a selection but when I browse to a location to save the file, the download finishes in a few seconds and results in a 1 KB file containing the following lines.

<bounds minlat="12.0720000" minlon="97.7010000" maxlat="20.4890000" maxlon="103.1950000"/>

<remark> runtime error: Query ran out of memory in "recurse" at line 1. It would need at least 524 MB of RAM to continue. </remark>

I do get a download some of the time so I know the server has this capability.

My questions are, what ran out of memory and why?

I could get my OSM data elsewhere but it seems this method should work all the time. It does work maybe one out of 5 times but mostly I get this error. I've used this method for years for compilations of Garmin-compatible maps with mkgmap but never with an area this large.

Is there a solution for this issue? Is it a server loading problem that occurs during busy times of day? Is 2 GB too much to ask for from this server?

Thanks in advance